


Don't Wanna Be A Monster Among Men

by mellocomeon



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Football | Soccer, M/M, Nudity, Roommates, mentions of bullying, the hunting and changing into a werewolf part gets a bit graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 16:52:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mellocomeon/pseuds/mellocomeon
Summary: “It is almost like they knew.”“Knew what?” Liam has given up on getting the duvet cover on the duvet and lets both fall onto the bed. Harry appears next to him and fixes the covers for him.“About the werewolf thing.” Harry says quietly as if he is addressing a secret.This is so out of context that Liam lets out a surprised laugh. “What? Is there a costume party planned or something? It’s only September, not even close to Halloween.”Harry looks at him questioningly for a moment before he explains himself. “No.” He looks behind Liam at the still open door as if to check if they are alone. Then he gestures between Liam and him. “I meant us!”-Or: the one where Harry and Liam are roommates at university, share the same passion for football and a secret





	Don't Wanna Be A Monster Among Men

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, thank you for reading one of my stories.
> 
> I did some research on universitys in England and on how football teams at uni work, but there will most likely still be mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy

Liam’s been out looking for Watson for over an hour now. The sun has set a while ago and it is getting darker outside as the seconds pass by. But Liam doesn’t want to head home yet, not without Watson. Why in hell did he think letting his dog run without the leash would be a good idea? As soon as Watson saw the squirrel he took off, Liam right behind him but he lost him not long after. Neither the calling of his name nor the promise of treats if he came back right then made the dog appear.

When it is getting so dark that even with the help of the full moon Liam can’t see where he is putting his feet anymore, he decides to head home. Turning around to do so Liam is faced with a new problem: he was so distracted calling out Watsons name and trying to find him in the woods that he did not pay attention to where he was going and doesn’t know how to get home now.

For the second time that evening Liam curses himself for his carelessness and goes back the way he came from. That at least he knows. About 100m later Liam steps in a puddle that had not been there before and by the size of it, Liam thinks that maybe not the puddle had not been there before but he.

Swearing up a storm his mother would ground him for, even if he is leaving for his second year at university tomorrow, he steps back and promptly falls over a tree stamp. Luckily enough he doesn’t hurt himself, but on his way back to his feet he spots a figure in the dark. From the size of it, it could be a really big dog, like Watson. But after a second look Liam notices the eyes are glowing and Watsons eyes did never glow in the dark before.

Liam stays low and backs away slowly. The animal’s eyes are following him, but it’s not moving towards him. He thinks he may be off the hook, that the animal doesn’t want to do him any harm when his back hits a tree and the animal launches forward.

The last thing Liam remembers before he blacks out is the soaring pain in his side.

\--

There is something wet pushing against his cheek. Liam swats at it lazily. When his hand lands in leaves, the memory from last night comes back to him and Liam startles up which leaves his head spinning. Panicked, he looks around and comes face to face with his dog. Relieve floods him to see his dog alive and hopefully healthy. He throws his arms around Watson and scrunches up his nose at the dog’s strong smell.

“Watson, where did you run off to? You stink!”

Liam gets to his feet and looks around. It must still be night since it is still dark, but Liam has less of a problem seeing in the dark as when he got attacked. When he got attacked! His hands fly to his side, where he felt the pain before he blacked out. Liam’s shirt has holes in it, but the skin beneath is just lightly scratched. Seems like the thing didn’t bite him like he thought. He probably was just exaggerating in his fear.

“Buddy, we need to get home. You don’t happen to know the way?” Liam says to his dog. Watson just lays his head to the side and looks at him. “Great. Then we’ll just go …” Liam closes his eyes and spins around slowly. He can hear music being played very quietly in the distance and stops his spinning, pointing in that direction. “That way.”

He claps on his leg and is happy to see Watson ready to follow him. This time he puts the leash on, not quite ready for the next trouble. They make their way through underwood and squeeze past bushes until they end up on a field. The music has been getting louder the further they went in that direction and now Liam knows where it came from. Right there in front of them is the funfair of Wolverhampton that is closing up the last booths.

In the distance Liam can see the steeple, showing that it is almost 2 am. His parents will be furious when he gets home. His mum is most likely worried sick because Liam staying out so late, especially when his phone is still at home charging, is out of the ordinary.

Liam opts for the jog home, burning off the excess adrenalin from his previous encounter with the creature in the forest. By the time they get home, Watson is dragging his feet and heads straight for his dog bed. Thankful that his parents aren’t waiting up on him, Liam drinks a glass of water and looks at the wound on his side again. This time with proper lighting and a mirror. It’s just that there is nothing to look at, the skin shows no unevenness or colouring. Perplexed, Liam looks on his other side just to check that he didn’t just mess up the sides, but the holes are on the left side.

Dropping his shirt back down and then rubbing his hands over his face, Liam decides that it would be best to catch some sleep to clear his mind. He strips down to his boxers and gets under the covers.

This night he dreams of big white teeth, golden eyes and dark fur.

\--

The next few days Liam feels ill, so much that he actually contemplates telling his parents or going to a doctor, afraid that he caught something from the animal. He feels dizzy all the time, stumbling when he walks because he can’t estimate how far to put his feet when walking. His head is tormented with a constant headache, partly from his eyes feeling overworked and from the loud noise in the house and on the street, another cause are the smells in the old factory city that have increased.

He ends up not telling anyone because he starts feeling better, not quite as sensitive to what is going on around him.

Besides that, he feels empowered somehow, a light shining from inside him. He doesn’t know how to describe it, but as the days go on, he feels calmer and calmer. The source of the calm coming from within him somehow.

At night he often wonders whether the incident really happened or if his mind was playing tricks on him. After all, he hadn’t found any wounds on his body. Still, he dreams of the giant creature more often than not, the beast getting worse and worse each time. He also stopped taking Watson on walks in the forest, instead taking him to a little park not far from his house where there are only a few trees.

Despite all the confusing things that are going on, Liam tries to make the best out of the last remnants of summer break before uni starts up again. He hangs out with his childhood friend Andy or watches movies until his head is pounding and most importantly he eats a lot of the food his mum cooks for him.

\--

It's in the middle of September when Liam packs his stuff to go back to university. Normally, he would take the train all the way to Manchester, but his dad insisted on driving him, making it easier for Liam to get all his luggage to Manchester and making his mum worry less because Liam would not be on his way alone, even though he has done so plenty of times.

On Sunday morning, his alarm goes off at seven o’clock. Groaning into his pillow one last time, Liam opens his eyes and turns the alarm off. He turns on his back and throws the covers off him. He lays there spread out like a starfish on his bed and looks at the ceiling. His gaze drifts over to the bare walls and the chair with the clothes he laid out for today, everything else already packed away. Liam never owned many clothes or books or stuff, but it is weird to see everything so bare.

He takes a shower and gets dressed, packing up the last of his stuff before taking his bag downstairs where his mum has put together a small breakfast feast. He greets her by a kiss on the cheek and squeezes his dad’s shoulder on his way to his usual seat.

“Good morning.” He says as he sits down and starts loading his plate with beans and sausages first.

“Are you excited?” Karen wants to know. “You got a whole new year ahead of you.”

“I am. Mostly, though, I am excited to see Louis again.” Liam forks some beans into his mouth.

“You should bring that sweet boy over some time. He sounds lovely.”

“Mum.” Liam whines. He knows exactly where this is going. She still worries about him, even after all these years. He gets it, though, and he is glad that he has friends like Louis. Liam didn’t have many friends when he was younger, got bullied really badly, too. When he went to uni, he lucked out with a great roommate, that came with a loud flamboyant boy who, to be honest, intimidated Liam. In the end though, they became thick as thieves and Liam couldn’t be happier.

“I know, Liam.” His mum says with tears prickling her eyes. “I … We are just so proud of you. Can’t believe you are already leaving for your second year of university today. My baby is growing up so fast.” She wipes at a tear rolling down her face, Liam is out of his seat to hug her in a second.

“I’ll visit whenever I can, but you know I have to study to get a good degree.” He tries to sooth her. Taking a step back, he takes his mums face in his hands and kisses her forehead. He is pleased to see that she looks a bit less teary.

When he is convinced that she won’t start crying, Liam sits back down to eat, relieved when his dad squeezes his arm in a silent thank you before starting a conversation about the surprise party for Liam’s aunt.

\--

Not long after, the car is packed with the last of Liam’s stuff and Liam is saying his goodbyes to his mother.

“I promise to call you when we get there. And every week to check in. I love you, mum.” He gives her a last kiss on the cheek, then he crouches down to Watson and cuddles him close one last time.

He waves as he goes to the car and takes a seat on the passenger seat before buckling up. When his father starts the car, the engine starts as loud as it never had before, making Liam cover his ears in pain.

“Dad! Jesus, why is that so loud?” He shouts over the ringing in his ears.

“You alright, son? It wasn’t louder than usual.” Geoff looks over worriedly. Liam is overwhelmed; everything is suddenly so loud, the sky outside is too bright and car fumes take his breath away. He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. He takes a few staggery breaths, trying not to think of the smell still sitting strongly in his nose and tries to calm himself down. The sounds are quieting down and Liam prepares for opening his eyes only to find everything is back to normal when he opens them.

“I’m fine now.” Is what he answers his dad, even though he is not sure that it’s the truth. He buries his head in the hood of his sweater and stares out the window.

When the two-hour ride to Manchester is done, he will be back on campus. Last year wasn’t the best it could have been; Liam had studied almost every night to get the grades he wanted to have, to make his parents proud. He didn’t have that many friends, only was real close with his roommate Zayn and his friend Louis. What worries him is that this year Zayn will no longer be his roommate since he transferred to a university in America and the chances of getting Louis as a roommate are really small. Liam is anxious and excited about the fact that he will get a new roommate.

Sharing a room with Zayn this past year wasn’t a problem, because they were alike. Both of them were quite reserved and liked their room to be a space of safety and silence. A hiding space if you will. But a lot of boys their age are really outgoing and a shiver runs down Liam’s back just at the thought of being paired up with a party animal that will invite all of his friends over for a room party.

Sooner than Liam would have liked, the men of the Payne household are passing through the gates to campus, luckily finding a parking spot right in front of the dorms. Liam had previously received an email with his room number, located on the second floor, third room on the left. On the way to his room he sees a lot of boys and wonders if one or maybe two of them are his roommates. When he arrives at his room though, there is no one there yet.

He sets his duffel bag down on the right of the two beds and moves over to the window where he has a view of the campus. His dad sets down the other duffel bag and goes back to the car the grab the last of Liam’s stuff.

Liam takes a minute to look around his new home for at least this semester. It is almost identical to the room he lived in last year; two twin beds, two desks with stools, a small kitchenet and a wardrobe so small that Liam wonders how both he and Zayn were able to get their clothes to fit inside.

Geoff is back with the last of Liam’s things and reminds Liam to call his mum. Liam offers to grab lunch with him, but his dad declines, not wanting to embarrass his son by hanging out with his father. When Liam starts protesting, he embraces his son and tells him to enjoy his university time. When he leaves, Liam is left alone in a room that looks as empty as Liam feels.

Sitting down on one of the desks he calls his mum while looking out of the window, watching parents drop off their first years. Liam wishes he wasn’t alone. His mum answers after the second ring, obviously awaiting his call. He tells her that they made it to uni safely and that dad is already on his way back home. She sounds like she is holding back tears, asking him if he has already met his roommate, but she hangs up soon enough, leaving him to meet new people und unpack his stuff.

\--

Liam is struggling with putting bedding on his bed when he smells something. It feels thick and like nothing he ever smelled before, suddenly he feels on edge. Through all the tumult in the corridor he hears footsteps coming closer and turns just in time to see a boy stopping in the doorframe. His short brown hair is curling softly, he is wearing a rolling stones shirt that has definitely seen better days, black skinny jeans and worn out brown boots.

The boy is Harry Styles, one of the most popular students on campus. He is in his second year just like Liam, but apart from that they are nothing alike. When Harry arrived at uni he immediately hung out with the elder students and charmed his way into the popular cycle. The dimples and curly hair had the girls swooning, but when he traded his wide trousers for skinny jeans sometime last year and started wearing fluttery shirts with ridiculous patterns that were mostly unbuttoned, the girls and even a few boys were done for. The once clumsy guy suddenly was the one catching the girls fawning over him.

It didn’t stop at that, because somehow the football team found out about Harry’s skills in the sport, they allowed him to join the universities football team mid-season. Something like that doesn’t just happen, it tells of Harry’s big talent.

Despite that, his parents are so loaded, that they could easily pay for a flat not far off campus, but Styles would rather have the full university experience, like living in a dorm room and sharing the showers with plenty other boys.

Somehow, Liam knows that the smell belongs to Harry. While they are standing there looking at each other, Liam notices a small change in the smell, which is weird, since perfumes and aftershaves don’t really change their scents, do they?

“Well, look who we have here.” Harry says and sends Liam a knowing smirk that Liam has no idea what to do with.

“I’m Liam Payne.” Liam introduces himself. Just because Liam knows who Harry is, doesn’t mean that Harry knows who Liam is. Styles steps over the threshold and takes off his big black bag pack.

“My name is Harry.” He says, then steps forward with his arms spread like he is going to hug him. Maybe Harry is one of those people who hands out hugs easily, even to people who he has never talked to before, but Liam isn’t, so he hastily holds out his hand for Harry to shake. Immediately the scent changes, gets more bitter and Liam has a feeling it is more than just aftershave or perfume. The scent makes him feel uneasy, he almost wants to apologise for not going in for a hug.

Harry looks thrown off, letting his arms rest at his sides again, before he goes for the handshake after a moment of consideration. A few seconds late he retreats his hand awkwardly and gestures to the second bed in the room. “Looks like we’re roommates.”

“Yeah.” Is all Liam comes up with. He swings his arms back and forth, waiting for something else to happen. When Harry starts unpacking, he goes back to fighting with his bedsheets.

“You know, it’s funny how we ended up being roomed together.” Harry mentions almost too casual for Liam’s liking.

“How so?” Liam asks.

“It is almost like they knew.”

“Knew what?” Liam has given up on getting the duvet cover on the duvet and lets both fall onto the bed. Harry appears next to him and fixes the covers for him.

“About the werewolf thing.” Harry says quietly as if he is addressing a secret.

This is so out of context that Liam lets out a surprised laugh. “What? Is there a costume party planned or something? It’s only September, not even close to Halloween.”

Harry looks at him questioningly for a moment before he explains himself. “No.” He looks behind Liam at the still open door as if to check if they are alone. Then he gestures between Liam and him. “I meant us!”

Now Liam is really confused. “What do you mean? I may be slowly able to grow impressive facial hair, but I am nowhere near being called a werewolf. And not to be mean or anything but you are lacking a bit in that apartment.”

“Hey.” Harry protests. “I choose to shave. But that’s not what I meant.” He is leaning in a bit, his scent thick in Liam’s nose, making him feel a bit warmer. He somehow has to resist the urge to nuzzle into Harry’s neck, something he never had the urge to do before. “I’m not trying to tell on you. You don’t have to deny it.”

“Deny what?” Liam asks. He feels like he is missing the point, but he is also a bit dizzy with Harry’s scent. He doesn’t know if he should mention it though, because it is kind of a weird thing to tell someone you have just met.

His roommate frowns at him. “That you are a werewolf. That we are both werewolves.” That’s insane. Something is clearly wrong with his roommate. Liam is not a werewolf. How could he be one and not have noticed. Maybe Harry is pranking him, but that wouldn’t be a very good prank. He looks really confused himself while Liam is trying to keep himself together. The proximity of Harry makes him all woozy.

“Are you messing with me?” Liam can’t really tell what the point of this conversation is, but he knows that werewolves aren’t part of the typical day to day conversation.

“What? No! Why would you think that?” Harry leans back, affronted. Liam takes a deep breath, feeling like he can finally breathe again now that Harry backed up a bit.

“Because there is no such thing as werewolves.” Liam insists. With Zayn he would talk hours about the possibility of the existence of anything supernatural, but Harry doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would enjoy a discussion about the realism of comic characters. There is just something off about the way he talks about werewolves.

Harry opens his mouth like he is ‘bout to protest but closes it again. Then he says: “Sorry. Just forget I said anything. Did you enjoy your off-time? Did anything interesting happen?” The questions are innocently enough, but Liam can’t fight the shiver that runs down his back at the memory of _that_ night, of the animal that attacked him. The animal that most likely just ran against him, since Liam didn’t find any wounds. He won’t tell Harry that though, because Liam is trying hard to forget that night ever happened.

“Just a normal summer. Nothing special.” He answers. Harry studies him for a few moments before he lets out a long sigh and heads back to his side of the dorm room.

He goes back to unpacking but pauses mid movement to look over his shoulder. “We are friends now, right?” Harry asks. Liam thinks it over for a second, but having a new friend doesn’t sound so bad, so he nods. “So as your friend I am always here to listen to you. Even if something weird happens to you. Especially then! Don’t be afraid to talk to me, Payne.” With that he turns back around and mumbles something about grabbing the last of his stuff from his car before leaving the room.

Liam is left alone and wonders whether he will ever be able to have normal conversation with his roommate or if he is one of those alien-conspiracy people, only about werewolves.

\--

It doesn’t take long before Liam has all his things stuffed away and set up. Harry had given up halfway through and just started reading a book which’s title promises it to be complicated. Liam is about to get up from his spot on the bed and see if he can spot a few familiar faces in the hallway when a boy crashes into the doorframe. “Payno!” the guy yells. Liam has a split second to realise that the guy is Louis before said friend throws himself at Liam and they fall back onto the bed together in a cuddle.

They sit up after a few minutes but stay close still.

“Great to see you, Louis.” Liam smiles at his friend genuinely. In return, he gets a nipple twist that makes him yelp and slap at Louis’ arm helplessly.

“Could have called, you know. Or texted. Had to find out from that Irish kid that you are already here. Got your room number from him, too. He only knew because apparently Harry fucking Styles is rooming with you who apparently …” At this he shuts up and slowly turns around to face the other side of the room as if it only occurred to him just now, that there could be another person in the room.

Harry is already looking at him, eyebrows raised, waving a hand at Louis before putting his book down and getting up. He comes over to where Liam and Louis are still sitting on Liam’s bed and exchanges a fist bump with Louis. “Hi, ‘m Harry.”

“Louis.” The blue-eyed lad introduces himself, still staring at Harry as if he can’t be real. But Louis being Louis catches himself fast and is back to his vibrant self in seconds. He engages Harry in a conversation about the football team which Louis has a lot of opinions on, but never bothers to join because that would mean he would have to do sports and give up his comfortable seat in front of the telly or on the bleachers.

Liam sits next to them, soaking in the familiarity of Louis’ presence. He already feels better and more at home, even though he still misses Zayn. Uni just isn’t the same without him.

\--

That night it is hard for Liam to fall asleep. It’s not that he isn’t tired, he is exhausted to the bone, it has been a long day, but the noises are keeping him awake. Liam lived in the dorms last year, but the doesn’t recall them so noisy. Some of his fellow students are still awake, running around or talking, some are still setting up their stuff or tossing and turning in their beds, having the same problem as Liam.

After two hours of pointedly not staring at the ceiling he falls into a restless sleep. He dreams of men who grow hair very fast until they look almost unhuman. He dreams of shadow figures turning from human to wolf. He dreams of white teeth gleaming in the dark, coming closer and closer. Liam feels trapped and starts to panic. When a shadow comes over him he jerks awake.

When his eyes have adjusted to the dark room, he recognizes the shadow looming over him and relaxes. It is just Harry, no creepy wolf creature. On second thought, it is creepy that Harry is watching him.

“Watching other people sleep is creepy. Has no one ever told you that?” Liam comments. Harry grins, not offended in the slightest.

“Sorry. Can’t help it.” He is joking but he turns serious a second later. “You were trashing around in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?” Harry sounds concerned. He is far too friendly for someone that has just met Liam, at least by Liam’s standards.

Liam was having a nightmare indeed, dreaming of werewolves, but that was only because Harry planted the seed in Liam’s head. He is not going to admit that though, despite Harry telling him he could tell him anything, they just aren’t at that stage yet. “Just worried about tomorrow. Or today, basically. First day of University and stuff.” Liam says instead.

“You sure? It seemed to me like you were being chased by a wild animal.” At this Liam’s breath hitches. Harry notices and raises an eyebrow.

“I was right. Wasn’t I?”

“Well, it is not like anyone wouldn’t be scared by that.”

“I am not. Not anymore.” Harry says. “I am more scared of being the wild animal.” The urge to comfort his roommate overpowers Liam’s thoughts. He sits up and tries his best.

“It is like you said. We are friends now and that means, that I am here to listen to what you have to say and will try my best to fix your problems with you.” Liam says sincerely.

Harry looks at Liam and Liam could swear his roommate’s eyes turns golden for a second. His mind must be running wild again.

“I am not sure there is a solution to my problem.” Harry holds a hand up when Liam wants to protest. “Now is not the time to ponder on that. There are only a few hours left before the sun comes up and we really should get some sleep. Sleep tight, Liam.”

Harry goes back to his side of the room and crawls into bed. When he doesn’t move again, Liam lies back down and whispers a “Goodnight.” into the night.

\--

The next morning Liam wakes up early enough to escape the morning rush. University mornings are hectic, especially the first one of a new semester since most of the guys have no time management and wake up too late and try to use the showers at the same time.

This early though, Liam doesn’t have to rush because not a lot of people are up yet. Harry is still out, which doesn’t surprise Liam.

After his shower, Liam heads back with only a towel around his waist as most guys in the dorms do. Harry is finally awake, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when Liam enters the room.

“Wow.” His roommate stares at Liam’s chest before dragging his eyes up to Liam’s face. “I didn’t know you hid that under your jumper.” Liam blushes and looks down at his stomach, where he is spotting a six pack of muscles. He’s just gotten used to it, a part of him that reminds him to treat his body good. Liam is proud of the hard work he puts into it, but he never meant to show off like that.

“Well, I do a lot of sport and luckily it pays off.” Liam responds.

“You should try out for the football team.” Harry says, throwing Liam off guard once again.

“What? You haven’t even seen me kick a ball!”

“I would bet my fake leather journal that you are excellent at it.” He says it with so much confidence that Liam almost believes him. To be honest, Liam isn’t bad with a ball, but joining the universities football team? Liam isn’t half as cool as the boys on the team and a lot of prestige goes with that role and he doesn’t fit in there. At least him being gay wouldn’t be a problem though since last year’s captain was Nick Grimshaw, the first openly gay football captain of Manchester city University.

“Try-outs are Saturday, 9 am.” Harry continues.

“Harry, I’m not sure…”

“I could train with you. Get you warmed up to the sport. And I promise to tell you if you suck at it which I don’t think you do.”

“Wouldn’t that be like cheating?”

“Cheating? No. It’s just a simple training session. Besides, all of the other boys trying out have been practicing for weeks, so it is only fair if we do practice together. Don’t look so worried, I’m sure you’ll be just fine. We’ll do a bit of cardio and check out your reflexes. Nothing major. You run, right?”

“I do.” Liam answers, slowly accepting he would need to break a leg to get out of this.

“Great. We could run together. Let’s say tomorrow?” Harry proposes.

“I… yeah, we could do that.”

“Good. Imma take a shower then.” His roommate gestures to the door before standing up and grabbing everything he needs for a shower. Liam busies himself with putting a pair of boxers on while still having the towel wrapped securely around his waist. If he were with Zayn now, he wouldn’t hesitate a second before dropping the towel and continue getting ready like a normal human being. But with a new roommate, Liam doesn’t know the boundaries yet and to be honest, he doesn’t feel comfortable enough to let his kit drop in front of Harry.

Turns out, Harry doesn’t have those worries. As soon as he is back in the room, he drops his towel and rummages through his side of the wardrobe in search for clothes. Liam doesn’t mean to, honestly, but this gives Liam the perfect opportunity to check Harry out. He heard quite a few rumours about Harry and he is just checking if the ones about Harry’s private parts are true. He doesn’t see much from this angle, but Harry does have a nice curve to his bum. Not as fleshy and full as Louis’ to be fair, but definitely more prominent than Liam’s flat backside.

Liam flushes and quickly turns back to where he is packing his rucksack when Harry straightens with an “Aha!”, holding up a tiny pair of briefs.

When he has packed everything he might need today, Liam slips his backpack on and moves towards the door. Harry is trying to get incredulously tight jeans on, hopping around on one leg. Liam tells him that he’ll see him later and heads out of the door. The only answer he gets is a loud thud and a yelp. He suspects that Harry went tumbling over.

\--

The next day Harry and Liam take a run around campus, then end up on the football field running laps, quickening their pace with every new round. Harry runs fast but Liam tries to keep up with him. The challenge is something Liam really enjoys. In all the time Liam has run, he mostly had to run on his own and the new aspect of a competition has him running faster than ever before.

They end their run with a short sprint, slowing down to a walk. Both are out of breath, skin and hair sweaty. Harry’s scent grew thicker the more they ran, but at least it distracted Liam from all the other senses, like how loud their footsteps sounded.

“You are in good shape. You won’t have a problem keeping up with the team, Liam.” Harry assures him.

“Thanks.”

They walk inside the gym where Harry stops in front of a ‘Staff only’ door. He produces a key out of nowhere and unlocks the door. He goes inside without hesitation, but Liam waits outside. The sign clearly said the room was only for staff and Liam isn’t one of those important people.

He doesn’t have to wait long because half a minute later Harry reappears with a football and two bottles of water. He quickly throws the ball at Liam before he turns around to close the door again. Liam is caught off guard but somehow manages to catch the ball.

“Nice catch.” He hears Harry say.

“Nice throw.” Harry hands him a water bottle and takes the ball back, kicking it back to the field.

They take a short break before Harry makes Liam do sit-ups and push-ups in between catching and throwing the ball. Then he has to kick the ball around, hit the marks Harry tells him to and lastly try to score against Harry. The last task proves to be impossible when Harry is in goal, but when it is offence against defence, Liam manages to trick him and score.

“Congrats. You are really good, Liam. The team would be lucky to have you. Come to the try-outs on Saturday, please.”

“I’ll think about it.” He promises. “Today was fun. Exhausting, but fun.”

“You really got great stamina. Half of the boys on the team would be dead on their feet after what I just put you through, but you look fine actually.”

“I guess.”

“Has it always been like that for you?” The words make Liam listen up, they imply a change. A change that definitely happened in Liam’s life. Now that he thinks about it, life became different for him after the attack in the woods. After that thing bit him…. But that can’t be. It couldn’t have been a wolf that was there, there are no wolves running around in Wolverhampton. Harry really messed up his mind with all of his werewolf talk, that’s it.

“Yes.” He lies. “I always had a lot of energy.” Liam doesn’t tell Harry what he is really thinking, he is weird enough as it is.

“Then you should put that energy to good use and help us win the title this season.” As promising as it sounds, Liam isn’t sure that football really is his thing. He may be good at it, but he wanted to focus on his studies more this semester. On the other hand, he has a lot of energy to burn and football really does that.

“I’ll think about it.” Liam says, mind already wandering to the shower he wants to have, suddenly feeling gross in his sweated through clothes. “I’m gonna head back and shower. Are you coming?” He asks. Harry just shakes his head.

“I’m going to bring the ball back. You go ahead and think about my offer." Without a glance back, Harry retreats to the stuff room, leaving Liam with thoughts swimming through his head.

\--

Liam is busy until Saturday rolls around, but he would be lying if he didn’t say that not a day passes without wondering whether he should try out for the football team. Since Tuesday Harry was constantly not so subtly trying to get Liam to go to the try-outs Saturday, with notes or ‘random’ compliments on his footwork or talking to friends about the try-outs when Liam was near. Liam told him that he would decide it spontaneously on Saturday morning even though he had already made up his mind. He just doesn’t want Harry to talk him up or anything. If he gets on the team, he wants to make it because of his maybe-there-talent, not because he has connections.

It is nice that Harry is so optimistic that Liam will make the team, but Liam knows that there are only a few spots open on the team and he’ll for sure won’t be the only one trying out. He is nervous that he won’t make the team and embarrass himself, but that is only a stupid thought because he isn’t popular or anything, so no one will be interested in his performance. Even if they laugh at him when he makes a fool of himself, they won’t remember his face. Either way, Liam knows that Harry will be very happy that he tried out for the team and maybe that will be enough for them to bond. Liam doesn’t trust in the ‘We’re roommates so we must be friends’ thing, he’d rather like it if they had something to talk about and could build a friendship on that.

Harry wakes up unnaturally cheery and early on Saturday. He is not even trying to be quiet when he gets ready, unsubtly trying to wake Liam so that he doesn’t oversleep the try-outs. Little does he know that Liam has been awake for hours, nerves not letting him get much sleep. He waits until Harry is out the door with his football kit before he gets up and gets ready.

On the way to the football field Liam tries not to let the nerves take over. At the field, a guy in a dark blue shirt and a snapback makes the newbys stand in a line on the side-lines, giving Liam the perfect opportunity to survey his competition. Standing there are around 30 young guys; most of them are bulky or just overly attractive while the others are most likely first years hoping to make the team because of their passion for football and not the fame.

The guy in the snapback blows a whistle and the coach and the rest of last year’s team come out of the changing rooms and line up before them. Once Harry sees him he looks relieved, before he lets a smile take over his face. Liam is trying to bite down his own smile, desperately trying to appear serious when the coach looks them up and down.

Coach Corden welcomes the boys and explains the process. Then they start with a tough warm up, not failing its purpose when two guys give up even before Corden tells them their first proper exercise. The coach tests their stamina and their reflexes, seeks out their strengths and their weaknesses. Some of the exercises are the same as Harry did with him which gives Liam a slight advantage and makes him feel like he is cheating. Some of the other guys seem to know the exercises just as well, making him feel slightly better.

After two hours only 19 boys are still trying out for a spot on the team, the rest had given up.

“Alright, guys, in the last task I want you to steal the ball from my boys. You can do everything that is legal in the game, no fouling. I give you 30 seconds each to steal the ball, then you move on to the next player. Niall here will keep score. Get sorted. Ready, Go!” With a blow of the whistle the fight begins.

Liam manages to steal the ball from all his opponents and leaves each of them stunned. After he has stolen the next ball, the coach gets in his way.

“You are good, but I want to know how good you are. Styles, get over here. I have a challenge for you.” Harry jogs over with a smirk on his face, but Liam knows that he is just terribly pleased.

“You sure you can handle me, Payne?” Harry jokes.

“You know I can.” Liam says back. Coach blows the whistle and Liam starts offence. Harry spins around and tribbles the ball just out of reach. It goes like this for the next 15 seconds until Liam counters one of Harry’s draw backs with fast leap forward to the other side mirroring his actions and taking the ball from him. Instead of looking defeated and stunned like the other players, Harry just smiles at Liam, all teeth and dimples and holds a hand out for him. Liam chuckles to himself, takes the hand and lets himself be pulled into a hug.

“You did great today.” Harry says into his ear.

“Thanks.” Liam draws back from the hug and immediately a heavy hand settles on his shoulder and squeezes.

“That’s it for today. Everybody run a lap, then take a shower and I’ll see you out here in 20 minutes when I’ll announce who made the team.” The coach says and nods to Liam before leaving his side.  
It’s a bit of chaos in the changing rooms, the now over 30 guys occupying two changing rooms and waiting in line for the showers. Liam is surprised how they all made it back out to the field in 20 minutes, but admittedly not everyone is fully clothed. Some of the braver guys have forgone a shirt and have only draped a towel over their shoulder.

“I am positively surprised with all the potential I have seen today but unfortunately not everyone made it on the team. On the team are:“ The coach lists all of the former team members first and then the new ones. Liam’s heart is beating so loudly that he almost overhears the coach saying his name. He mimes punching the air and lets out a quiet “Yes!”.

“Practice starts Tuesday 4 pm. Be there or I’ll give your spot to someone else. We also have practice on Fridays, same time. Games are every three weeks on Sundays. If you don’t come to practice you won’t get to play the game. Also, since Grimshaw finished university and therefor isn’t allowed to play on the university team anymore, we need a new captain.” Corden says. “Styles, I discussed it with my assistant, if you are up for it, then you are captain now. Are you up for it?”

“I’m up for it!” Harry answers, stunned. He gets a few congratulation slaps on his back by the boys standing near him.

“Alright, congrats boy. That’s it from me now, I’ll give the word to your new captain.”

The coach and the ones who didn’t make the team leave the field while Harry motions for the rest to make a big circle and to hold onto each other.

“I welcome everyone to the team and hope that together we will be able to win the title this season. Tonight, 8 pm, pub just off campus on turner street. Everyone is obligated to come, it’s initiation time.” He ends his first speech as captain with their typical war cry before shooing them off to their dorm rooms.

Humming a happy melody, Liam waits at the gate for him.

“Congrats on making it on the team.” Harry says as he approaches him.

“Congrats on becoming captain.” Liam says as he slides his arm over Harry’s shoulders. Harry claps his hand on Liam’s chest a few times before racing him back to their room.

\--

“Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot!” The young men shout as Gale downs the array of shots they ordered for him. The poor boy is the first to have his initiation.

_“It’s important to hold in a bit of liquor.” They said as they approached Gale with his task. “We go to the pub sometimes for team bonding and of course there are the victory parties after the games we must attend and it is important that we aren’t the first to get drunk out of our asses. So, our task for you is to down seven shots and then dance with a hot girl. Try not to make a fool of yourself. We rely on you now.”_

While getting ready for the night out, Liam had asked Harry what those initiation nights were like.

_“Everyone has to do something mildly embarrassing. Nothing too bad, just a bit of fun to get everyone to loosen up to each other.”_

_“What did you do?” Liam had asked._

_“I kissed the coach.” Harry had said like it was nothing. “What?” He had asked, laughing softly at the appalled look on Liam’s face. “It wasn’t like I full on snogged him. It was just a longer peck. And he knew that it must have been an initiation dare.”_

To be honest, Liam before-hand had no idea what was in store for him and he rather would have not asked Harry. Now he is more than a bit anxious what is awaiting him. What is making it worse is that Harry also told him that the initiations aren’t all tonight. They can lead up all over the curse of the next few weeks to the first game.

Gale manages to down the seven shots like a pro, but by the time he managed to get a girl to dance with him, the alcohol has made its way into his system and he is pissed. He is making a right fool out of himself, but his team mates are having a right laugh.

The night is more fun than Liam had expected it to be since he only knew Harry. But the guys were all very nice and fun and thankfully didn’t kick him out of the team for not drinking alcohol. They were really understanding on the whole “I only have one kidney.”-thing, even though technically Liam has to kidneys, but one is not functioning properly.

The first boy he manages to have a real conversation with is Niall. Turns out he is the assistant of the coach now after having injured his knee last season. They bond over their passion for music and find out that they are mostly in the same courses since both of them are studying sound engineering. Niall just likes to skip the classes in the morning, opting for more sleep.

For Liam, the night has already been a success because he managed to make a friend. Niall really is an Irish wonder; in just two hours he managed to befriend everyone and got them singing some Irish folk song that they had never heard of before.

Liam is laughing at something Alan said as Harry sidles up next to him, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Having fun?” He says in his deep voice.

“Yes.” Liam answers honestly. After a moment he adds: “Thank you for making me try out for the team.”

Harry shrugs one shoulder like its nothing, which it probably is for him. “I knew you’d be good at it.”

It is an off-hand comment, but Liam still blushes. Trying to hide it, he takes another sip of his coke.

The night out gets only more chaotic the longer they are out, but Liam is having great fun. The fact that his initiation isn’t tonight is both a relief and a burden.

Liam is smiling when he gets to bed at almost 4 am. It has been a long day, but it was fun. The guys are pretty great and Liam can’t wait to have his first real practice on Tuesday.

\--

On Sunday Louis storms in and demands to know why Liam didn’t tell him that he wanted to try out for the football team and why Louis had to find out through Niall that Liam made the team yesterday.

The fact that Liam is blinking up at him from where he is trying to block out the sunlight shining in through the windows with his covers and Harry standing in the middle of the room in only his boxer briefs with a towel round his head doesn’t bother him. He just marches past Harry and sits down heavily on Liam’s legs. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He demands to know. Liam knows him good enough to know that behind this strong demeanour, Louis is at least a little bit hurt.

“You know Niall?” Liam croaks out. He can tell from the look on Louis face that he should have apologised first.

“Of course I now Niall, he lives in the room next to mine. But until like 5 minutes ago I didn’t even know you knew him and then he tells me that you are on the football team. Something I didn’t know you were interested in trying out for. He asked me if I hadn’t known about that, because he thought that as your best friend I would know, and I bloody did not know!”

“I’m sorry!” Liam sits up, careful not to dislodge Louis. “I didn’t even think about it until Harry suggested it.” This earns Harry a dirty look from Louis. “But I didn’t want him to get me a spot on the team, so I didn’t tell him about my final decision. And by accident I didn’t tell you either. I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I was just so fixated on keeping it a secret from Harry that I kept it a secret from everybody else, including you.” Louis settles a bit at this, his facial features going soft.

“Good. Because I want front row seats to every game you play!” Louis says, a small smile playing around his lips. Trust Louis to support him no matter what, which is why he is his best mate. But Louis never is just nice, he always has got something planned.

“Oh god!” Liam groans, hiding his face behind his hands. “You are gonna embarrass me, aren’t you!”

“Of course I will. You’ll hear me cheering for my boy from all over campus.” Liam pretends to be embarrassed, but he wouldn’t want Louis any other way. His mate gently pats his head before climbing off of him.

“Me and Niall wanted to get food before he told me about your little secret. Do you want to come with? I promised to tell Niall a lot of embarrassing stories about you and I want you to relive those.” Liam groans.

“Yes, I’ll come with. Ut only so that I can stop you. I’ll just brush my teeth and get dressed.” Liam pushes back the covers and swings himself out of bed.

“Do you want to come with, Harry?” Louis asks, Liam’s head whipping around quickly to see Harry caught off guard, half an arm in a shirt, stuck unmoving.

“I … yeah. Sure.” Harry replies with a chuckle, making eye contact with Liam for a second before Liam slings the towel over his shoulders. Seems like Liam was right about Harry; he wouldn’t go for Liam.

\--

A few days later Liam goes to see a doctor. It was time for his yearly check-up to make sure his only working kidney is still doing its job and not giving up like the other one did. Going in, he did not expect the news they had for him; somehow his second kidney had fixed itself. Something like that doesn’t really happen. The doctor called it a ‘wonder’ and that this was a one-in-a-kind case and that Liam should feel blessed, which he does, he just can’t wrap his head around the news.

On the way back to his dorm, Liam runs into Louis just outside his room, too dazed to look where he is going.

“Whoa, mate, what’s up with the face? Did you see a ghost or something?” Louis asks, rubbing his nose where it hit Liam’s shoulder.

“No, just … my kidney magically fixed itself.” He answers.

“Really? How did that happen?” Louis asks happily and albeit a bit sceptical.

“Dunno. The doctor doesn’t know either.”

“Doesn’t matter really. I’m just glad that you are a healthy lad now which we need to celebrate. Let’s go out, have some celebratory drinks. I’m getting the boys together.” Before Liam can say anything, Louis is opening his door and calling out to Harry to get his ass back into his skinny jeans cuz they are going out. Then Louis shoves him inside his room to get ready while he goes off to tell Niall about their plans. The news still have Liam in shock, leaving him sat on the floor still trying to comprehend how the impossible happened to him.

“You alright?” He hears Harry’s voice, somewhat distant. Liam looks up from the floor, eyes absently gliding over Harry until they fall onto his furrowed set of eyebrows. _“Liam!”_ cuts a voice straight through to him. He snaps back to reality, the sounds of a buzzing dorm full of boys slowly filtering back in.

“Yeah.” He answers Harry’s previous question. “Just some strange news. My kidney healed itself.”

“A fixed kidney isn’t a bad thing, Liam. You should be happy.”

“I am, I guess. It is just an unusual thing to happen.” Before Harry can say anything else, he continues. “Louis will be back soon. We better get ready.” Nothing more is said until Louis arrives with Niall and they make their way to the nearest pub.

Once they get there, Louis makes it his mission to get Liam drunk and while Harry tries to stop him, Liam downs every shot with no merci for his just healed kidney. The beers go down just as easily, but he doesn’t feel the buzz of the alcohol at all, not even when Niall and Louis are plastered even though Liam went drink to drink with them and had even more shots.

His oh so magically kidney must have gotten an extra boost in getting the alcohol processed which just makes Liam angry. The one time he drinks to let loose, his kidneys decide to ruin it for him, just not quite in the way they used to. It doesn’t help that Harry is looking at him as if he knew what was going on. Just to piss him off, Liam orders another shot and downs it seconds after the bartender hands it to him.

Later that night when Harry is snoring loudly in the bed on the other side of their dorm room, Liam feels guilty instead of feeling blessed about his healed kidney. The first thing he did when the wonder happened, was getting trashed instead of making sure his kidneys stays healthy. It was an irresponsible thing to do. The hangover he’ll get in the morning will be the right consequence for his behaviour.

But instead of suffering a massive headache like Louis and Niall, he feels fine the next day. Harry, who didn’t drink much last night, just looks at him with big green eyes like he knows what’s going on. Instead of talking to him about it, Liam burrows his nose in course work.

\--

After that day, Liam falls in some kind of routine. He goes to his classes and tries to not fall behind on his course work. He goes to football practice twice a week and on runs with Harry, after he had apologized for his behaviour. Running with a partner really shaped Liam. He is able to run faster and farther, his stamina has improved and he gets out of breath less easily. Harry also is very competitive, he races Liam at the end of every run and makes him try harder.

Liam doesn’t just stay active, he also tries to eat healthier in apology to his kidney. But then Louis comes around and they end up eating junk food and lounging around all day while Harry is out meeting people and doing things like yoga. Sometimes though, they do a lads night, Niall, Louis, Harry and Liam. These are the nights Liam likes best, the only time where he doesn’t feel the pressure weighting him down, where he can just be himself.

Despite his balanced lifestyle he still is restless and it gets worse every day. Harry takes him on runs on the days they don’t have practice, running farther than ever before, but Liam still feels like he could do it all over again. It doesn’t help that he is getting really sensitive. When someone closes their book too loudly, to Liam is sounds like a marching band is rehearsing their new set in his ears. The light is too bright every time he goes or even looks outside and it’s not like England is known for his sunny skies.

Liam hasn’t talked to his mates about it, but Harry seems to know. He is always watching Liam, asking if he is alright. It is a bit concerning, makes him feel like he has a serious disease, but he always plays it down, telling Harry that it is just the stress and the fact that his initiation for the football team hasn’t come up yet even though the game is on Sunday.

\--

The day has been hell. Liam hasn’t been able to sleep much last night, always tossing and turning, feeling way to restless to fall asleep. He did some push-ups to exhaust himself, but it didn’t give him more than half an hour of restless sleep. The lack of sleep made him cranky and he snapped more easily than he normally would. Then his favourite professor was sick and his replacement had the microphone turned on way too loud, causing a missive headache for Liam.

He is on his fifth sandwich of the day when he finally gets to his shared dorm room. When he enters the room, Harry is already looking at him as if he was expecting him.

“You are free tonight, right?” Harry asks.

“I am not really in the mood, Harry. Had a shit day.” Liam lets his backpack glide to the floor and lays down on his bed.

“I found a new route that I wanted to run. It is a bit out of the city, but it has challenging height differences and we would run in the forest for a change. And since it is the full moon tonight, we wouldn’t have to worry about being out late. The moonlight will light our way.”

Images of that night in the woods come rushing back to Liam. His breathing gets laboured when he remembers the fangs of that animal, glistening under the full moon, the golden eyes staring at him as if he was something to eat. A shiver runs down his back at the memories. He is about to decline when he looks into Harry’s pleading eyes. It is unfair that Harry is using his puppy dog eyes on him, but it is Liam’s fault that he always falls for them. Also, he ought to face his fears at some point and a run really sounds promising. He could burn all the pent-up energy that has kept him on his toes all day.

When he nods it is almost like he sees relieve flashing over Harry’s face. But it is gone after a blink, so Liam is not sure if he just imagined it.

It is not long until Harry tells him to get changed. He is driving them to that route he wants to run, but Liam really doesn’t see the need for the extra change of clothes Harry takes with them to the car.

“It is a long drive. Don’t want to get cold on the way back. If we get sick now, we will infect all the boys on our floor and we can’t have that. Can we, Liam? And then we will all suck on Sunday and the first game of the season is always important.” Liam rolls his eyes, but has to admit that Harry may be right about that.

The drive is longer than Liam thought it’d be. It doesn’t take all too long before they leave the city, but then Harry turns left and onto an uneven street and drives them towards nothing. After a while the sun starts to set. Making Liam regret saying yes to the run in the woods. Even if he wasn’t having flashbacks of the last full moon, isn’t the full moon the night many crazy people go outside hunting the supernatural? What if a madman is hiding in the woods? They are so far from the city, no one would hear their screams.

He feels uneasy, like something is trying to crawl out of his skin. He is about to ask Harry to turn around and drive them back to uni when he stops the car.

“We are here. How are you feeling, Liam?” Harry turns off the engine and looks at his roommate. There is something terrible sincere in his gaze.

“Not great to be honest. Don’t think it is a good idea to run around in the dark in a forest we have never been to.” He admits.

“I have been here before. Lots of times.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. Needed to get away for a bit last year. The forest gave me the silence and privacy I needed.” Harry looks at the sunset as he says that, a far away look on his face. “Drink something, then we will take off.”

\--

They haven’t been running for more than five minutes when Liam feels pain shooting through his back. He staggers to a halt, taking in huge gulps of air when pain shoots through his legs. Harry stops a few meters in front of him and comes back to Liam with his face scrunched up as well.

“Don’t fight it! Let the wolf take over.” He says.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Liam spits out. Right now is definitely not the time to start with this You-are-a-werewolf shit again. The pain is spreading through his whole body, numbing any feeling he had in his limbs. He is terrified, he has no clue what is happening to him and Harry had the brilliant idea to take them somewhere no people live. ”What is it with you and wolves?”

“Liam! You’ve clearly been bitten by a wolf. By a werewolf to be exact and you are changing into one.”

“What? No. You are crazy.” Liam wants to take a few small steps back but he has no control over his legs. The next second they give out under him and he falls to his hands and knees.

“Haven’t you noticed the changes? You smell things that you haven’t smelled before, everything is too loud and too bright and you run like a wild animal.” Harry is kneeling in front of him now, face serious.

“It’s the stress. I already told you. It makes me sensible for these kinds of things.”

“Come off it. It started after the last full moon. Am I right?” Liam rolls his eyes but he knows that Harry is right. He remembers the full moon shining through the trees when he was searching for Watson. “And today is a full moon as well. The wolf wants to run. You have to let him take over or else he’s going to force his freedom from you. And that is not a great feeling, believe me.”

“How would you know?”

“I have been bitten myself. I know what you are going through. It may seem crazy right now, but denial will lead you nowhere. You need to give in to the wolf inside you.”

He is nowhere near believing Harry, but the pain becomes unbearable. When he feels his bones starting to shift, everything goes black.

\--

Liam wakes up disoriented and gross, but he feels as rested and sated as he hasn’t in a while. The remnants of last night’s dream are still present behind his eyes. He dreamt of the woods, still feels the joy of running through the night, the stars in the sky lighting his way, but he doesn’t really need them, his magic dream eyesight makes him see better; it feels like a memory, but not quite.

A cold breeze makes him shiver and the dream slips away from him, but the sated feeling of freedom stays with him. Liam sleepily blinks his eyes open, takes in the sunlight that is slipping through the tree branches and nuzzles his head back into the leaves under his head, closing his eyes contently.

With a start Liam’s eyes snap open, his brain now fully awake. He takes in his surroundings again and realises that he is in a forest. He quickly turns is head when he hears a loud snore behind him. Liam can’t see much but a lot of naked skin, because the body behind him lays too close to fully turn around. Looking down at himself, Liam sees way more naked skin than he normally would on a Thursday morning. _What the hell happened last night?_

When an arm snakes around his waist, Liam startles, but automatically relaxes when he sees a giant anchor on the person’s wrist, followed by a few little drabbles. The first set of relaxation is replaced by uncertainty, because why are Harry and he naked in the woods? Is this his initiation? Some kind of prank, where he and Harry have to walk back to their dorm room starkers? But why is Harry naked as well? Is it some kind of captain initiation for him?

But laying around starkers in the woods won’t help him finding out what is going on. Just as he is about to get up, the arm around his waist tightens and drags him closer. He feels Harry breath down his neck, whispering “Sleep. We both need it.”.

As much as Liam would like to follow that suggestion, he is exhausted to the bone despite having just woken up, Liam sits up, carefully setting Harry’s hand down on the leaves behind him. He probably should be more worried about the fact that a naked Harry cuddles up to him and why he is alright with that, but that isn’t a priority on his list of questions right now.

Instead he looks around in search for his clothes but doesn’t spot them. At least he can see Harry’s car parked about 15 meters from them. Liam gets up and stretches his limbs as much as he can without flashing his bits to Harry. His muscles feel sore, like he did some heavy weight lifting. Liam looks around, gaze only shortly resting on his very naked roommate. Their clothes are really nowhere to be seen. Maybe if he just would go back to where they ran last night …

And just like that the memories from last night come rushing back to him. He remembers crouching on the ground, the pain almost unbearable. Harry was talking some shit about werewolves again and then everything went black. But he was still clothed then. From somewhere deep inside him the dream pops up again. The scenery seemed so unreal, but as Liam looks around he recognizes the landscape. It was the forest he currently is in, the forest he fell unconscious in. Now though, standing there, it occurs to Liam what was wrong about the way he ran in that dream. He felt heavier, but like it was distributed on a wider form. A form that made it easier to run, four legs maybe. Four legs, like a wolf!

He stumbles back and falls straight to the ground, his vision blurring behind a curtain of unshed tears, desperation blooming up inside of him. Werewolves aren’t real! They can’t be!

Beside him, Harry sits up. “Liam, are you alright?”

“No! No, I’m not.” Dragging his hands over his face he shouts. “Fuck!” He is going insane. He is going fucking mental. He has got to get away from here. It’s this place, if he just had a cold shower and the comfort of his bed he would stop thinking these absurd thoughts.

Liam gets up again, stumbles forward, up stepping to a sprint once he finds his footing again.

“Liam, hey, wait!” Harry shouts behind him. Liam makes the mistake of looking back at him and runs straight into a tree, knocking himself unconscious.

\--

His head is pounding. It feels like a whole construction team is trying to break in his skull. There is a constant hum in his ears that slowly turns into separate words as he fights back to consciousness.

When he opens his eyes, Harry is leaning over him. Relieve washes over Harry’s face upon seeing that Liam is awake.

“Oh, thank god! You are awake. Looked really painful, you running into that tree.”

“It really was.”

“What was all this running off about?” Harry asks, voice calm, but Liam senses that Harry knows what is going on inside Liam’s head.

“I panicked. Tell me, what was going on last night?” Liam directs his gaze to Harry’s face, waiting for an honest answer. Liam doesn’t want to run anymore, too tired to run away from a destiny that is already written for him. He just lays there, calm as ever and waits for Harry to tell him the truth. Harry’s gaze wavers, but eventually he answers Liam’s question.

“You turned. We both turned. We shifted into our wolf form.”

“How?” Liam closes his eyes. Let’s himself picture it. A human sinking to his knees, falling on all fours, head hanging low while the body shudders, hair growing long over the limbs, legs shortening and a tail growing between the legs until there is a wolf standing there

“I don’t know. Magic?” Liam can feel Harry’s gaze on him but doesn’t dare opening his eyes. “I have never seen anyone shift.”

“How about last night?”

“I didn’t see your change, I saw you in your human form, then I shifted and when I looked up again, you lay there in your wolf form.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Your scent. And you two look a lot alike. The wolf is you as well, Liam. It is just another persona of you.” Liam opens his eyes and looks up into the sky. There, between the grey-white of the clouds and the trees is a sliver of blue sky. He holds onto it like the last sliver of hope that this won’t end in a tragedy.

“Do you believe me?” Harry asks, his fingers are playing with his rings, turning them around. “It’s just that you thought I was crazy the last times I tried to talk to you about us being werewolves.”

“I didn’t think supernatural creatures were real.” Liam defends himself. “But I do believe you now. It may not be the most comforting answer for what was going on with me, but it makes sense now.”

“You didn’t know that you are a werewolf, did you?” Harry asks then.

“No, I didn’t.” They sit in silence for a few moments, letting that information sink in. Liam is thankful that Harry didn’t ask the follow-up question about the bite that is burning into Liam’s mind. To get his mind of it, he asks the first thing he can think of. “You said something about my scent. What is that?”

“Your scent, well as a werewolf you can distinguish the scent of everybody. Just like you can smell fruits more strongly, you can distinguish humans by their smell, their scent. And werewolves smell different than humans, that is how I knew you were a werewolf when I met you in our dorm room. You must have noticed that you can smell me more strongly than Louis for example.” Liam takes a few seconds to think about it.

“You do smell different. I just thought that you bodily smell that strong.”

“Are you saying I stink?”

“No? It wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Kind of comforting.” At his words Harry blushes.

“That is really nice, Liam.”

“It is?”

“Yes. It is a good thing. Means that we work well together. That we fit.” Liam isn’t quite sure what that means, but he doesn’t want to ask. It’s enough that these words give him a warm feeling in his stomach. His still naked stomach, oh dear lord. Liam clears his throat.

“Ehm, Harry, how long have I been out?” He reaches down to cover himself. Harry doesn’t even bother to hide his lower regions, he really has no shame.

“Not long. Maybe two minutes. We heal faster than humans. The bump on your forehead will be gone by tomorrow.” A bump. Liam reaches up to touch it and winces at the pain when he does so.

He stands up slowly, Harry reaching out to steady him when he sways a little. His hands on his naked body are a little too much for Liam. He takes in a shuddery breath.

“You alright? You’re not freaking out, are you?” A line of worry shows on his roommate’s face.

“No. I just … some clothes would be nice.”

“Oh, right.” Harry flushes a little and quickly retreats his hands. Scratching his neck, he says. “Sorry, after changing into a wolf a few times you get used to the nudity. Plus, I always found clothes a bit restricting.” He gestures to his car. “Come on. We packed extra clothes last night.”

Right. Now that makes sense.

They get dresses in silence even though Liam burns for asking more questions. On the car ride back to uni Liam can’t keep quiet anymore. Now that he kind of accepted being a wolf, a million more questions are flooding his brain.

“So last night, when we turned, what happened then?” Harry takes his eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at Liam before he answers.

“We run. The wolf takes its freedom and does what it normally does. It runs and hunts.”

“It hunts?” Images of a wolf attacking an innocent little girl stream into his mind, he can almost feel the warm blood on his face and hands, unsettling his stomach.

“Yes. That is why we needed to be far away from any human soul. As time passes you will come to some kind of understanding with your wolf. When it realises that you will give it it’s freedom every moon, it settles and is calmer and you will be too.”

“I’m a monster.” Liam whispers, not really heaving heard a word of what Harry just said.

“No, Liam. You are not at all.” Harry tries to catch his eyes, but Liam stares straight ahead. He can’t believe that this is his life. “You just need to find your balance.”

“You just said that we hunt!”

“Something small like a rabbit or something. You can take control, but you need become one with your wolf first. Don’t fight it.” Harry is silent for a few minutes, probably thinking about what to say next.

“The wolf gives you better senses, in return it wants its freedom on every full moon. If you fight it, the wolf will take over, not just more brutally during the moon but also whenever you are weak.”

“That is not reassuring at all!” Liam exclaims.

“I’m trying to be honest here.” Harry says. “I’ll help you, if you let me. Show you how to handle your new wolf senses and all that. I promise to try my hardest to keep you from becoming a beast.” Harry only takes his eyes off the road for a short moment to smile reassuringly at Liam.

“Thank you.” Liam says, the promise already calming his racing heartbeat. “Honestly. I don’t want to know what would have happened if you hadn’t taken me to the woods. There is so much I don’t know which terrifies me, but I also don’t know if I ever want to know all that I am capable of now. The possibility or fact that I am a werewolf still seems so surreal to me.”

“It’s alright. It took some time for me to get used to it as well.” Liam would like to know when and how Harry became a werewolf but at the same time, Liam thinks he is not ready to find out. Being bitten himself was traumatising enough. He doesn’t need to know Harry’s story as well.

“You said that we heal faster than humans.” Out of the corner of his eyes he sees Harry nod. “Is that the reason that my kidney fixed itself?” Harry takes a few moments to contemplate his answer.

“I bet so. I had asthma and hay fever when I was younger. When I became a werewolf, I had no longer problems with it.”

So it’s not just hunting an killing. Then he thinks back to the first week after the incident in the forest in Wolverhampton, how overwhelmed he was, how sick he felt. His stomach drops and he feels closed in again. Liam opens the window to get some fresh air, letting the rushing of the wind blank out his mind. He is thankful for the quiet that settles over him and Harry for the rest of the drive.

As they head to their dorm room, Liam feels exhaustion creeping up on him. Their wolves probably ran all night, which means that Liam barely got any rest tonight. Back in their room Liam takes a look at his phone and is wide awake in seconds. It is almost nine which means he is already way too late for his first lecture.

On the lock screen are a few angry messages sent by Niall, who he promised to go to the lecture with this morning.

_Mate, where are you?_

_Your bed doesn’t even look like you slept in it!_

_Where the fuck are you?_

_Can’t believe I woke up early for this. You owe me big time for sagging me like this !!!!_

_Have you and Harry gone to a party last night without me? Is that why you are out late??_

“Fuck!” Liam mutters and quickly packs his bag before heading out of the door.

“Liam!” Harry calls after him. Liam stops just outside the doorway and turns back around. “You might consider taking a shower first. Not to be mean or anything but you stink, Payne.” He says with a nod to gesture for Liam to smell himself. Which he does and maybe it won’t be such a bad idea to take a shower first. He is already late and if he begs nicely, Niall might let him borrow his notes. No need to turn up to a lecture smelling like a mixture of sweaty teenager and smelly dog.

\--

That day Liam feels as good as he hasn’t felt in ages, he feels settled and sated and happy. He can’t get the image of a dog waggling his tail out of his mind, because that is for sure what Liam would look like if he were in his wolf form right now. He is in such a good mood, that Niall asks him if he wasn’t there this morning because he went to an orgy with Harry last night.

At the thought Liam laughs but can’t help blushing, because he did wake up naked with Harry cuddling up to him and who knows what their wolves got up to.

\--

At the next practice Liam is calm and collected. His passes are precise and he out-tribbles his team mates more easily. Over all he just feels calm and at ease, not having a care in the world.

Which is why he doesn’t expect it when Harry pulls his trousers down while Liam is waiting his turn at practice penalty shots. He hastily covers his naked bits while blushing furiously, trying to pull his trousers up at the same time.

“No hurry, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.” Harry says and then bloody winks at him. The team is laughing but also applauding. It isn’t until Niall puts a hand on his shoulder and says “Saving the best for last.” that Liam realises that getting pantsed was his initiation. He now is an official team member.

Later, on the way to the changing rooms, Liam gets a few slaps on the back, even from Harry. When he sees him, he launches forward as if to chase him and Harry runs away laughing. Something warm pools in his stomach at the sight and Liam can’t help laughing as well as he sprints after him.

\--

Now that Liam knows he is a werewolf, he spends a lot of time wondering whether he notices things the same way as before or if he notices things differently because of his better wolf senses. But maybe he is just more aware of everything.

Liam is at ease with his wolf; for now. But he is worried that it won’t stay that way, which is why he asks Harry for help.

“You want me to show you the basics?” Harry asks, waiting for Liam’s nod of confirmation.

“Yes, I want to find a balance between me and the wolf. I don’t want it taking over my life.”

“Meditation could help.” Harry looks around their dorm room and then out of the window at the darkening sky. “Let’s do it here, the familiarity of the dorm noises won’t distract you too much. Sit down on the floor, please.” Liam finds a clean spot on the floor where no clothes lay and sits down with his legs crossed, mirroring Harry opposite him.

“Alright, let’s just, uhm…, lay your hands on your knees, palms up. Close your eyes and think nothing.” Nothing? How can one think nothing? Liam opens one eye to see if Harry’s joking, but closes it immediately when he sees the mock stern look on his roommate’s face.

“Liam! Stop cheating!” Harry scolds, but he is laughing as he says it. With a smile playing on his lips, Liam relaxes his face and tries to not think about anything. Instead he focuses on the sounds of boys leaving their rooms and talking to each other. He can feel himself slowly slipping away when Harry’s voice pops up again.

“Listen to your body, Liam. I know you can feel that there is something inside you. Open yourself up to it. Don’t shut it out.” Liam tries to focus on his own body, he can feel and hear the blood rushing, can feel it times a thousand when he swallows. When he tries to go further, something blocks his way. Even though his eyes are closed, he can feel something dark coming over him. Somehow, it gets harder for him to breath, he feels like he is getting caged in. Liam tries to open his eyes, but his body won’t respond to his pleas. He starts to panic, doesn’t know what is happening. Two hands settle on his shoulders, he feels the weight pressing him down, caged in even more. He wants to trash around, punch his way free but his limbs don’t move. From somewhere far away he can hear a voice, but he doesn’t understand any words. Liam just wants this to be over, doesn’t understand what is going on.

“Liam! Liam! Listen to me! You need to come back! Liam! Listen to my voice, focus on my voice! Liam!” The voice he is hearing gets louder, he can almost understand what it is saying. A sharp pull is coming with it, dragging Liam away from the dark until he can breathe again. Only then does he realise that Harry is talking to him, that he is holding his shaking body. Liam wants to open his eyes, but he can’t, not yet. He is too weak, the energy having left his body, leaving him cold and motionless. With the last of his strength, he turns his head a little towards the warmth, feeling himself being pushed forward until he can feel his face touching warm skin. The skin is emitting a strong smell, something so sour that it makes Liam shiver. He presses his face closer and noses at the skin, already feeling calmer. The scent changes slowly, getting sweeter and warmer, making Liam let out a content sigh. Harry is murmuring softly above him, reassuring him that everything is alright.

After a few minutes, Liam feels restored enough to lift his head out of Harry’s neck. He blinks a few times, trying to clear his view. His legs are numb from sitting in the same position for too long, body still leaned forward into Harry’s embrace. He finally looks upwards into Harry’s face, surprised to see a tired smile sitting there.

“Hey, you’re back.” Harry says, his hands softly massaging Liam’s neck. “Was right scary, seeing you like that. I am so sorry, if I’d known that would happen, I would have never suggested it.”

Liam feels the slight tremble of Harry’s hands and just pulls him in again, hoping to calm him as much as Harry managed to calm him. He guides Harry’s face into his neck, knowing that something about this spot is calming, having just witnessed it himself. After a few moments he feels Harry nosing at his neck and feels him let out a staggered breath before he relaxes forward. Liam just holds him, closing his eyes as he breathes in the warm skin of Harry’s neck himself. He doesn’t know what it is about this spot, but he is sure that it is a werewolf thing. And as long as it does them good, Liam isn’t going to question it.

\--

Their first game of the season is in Nottingham, which means the team meets up at 10 in the morning to drive there together. In the changing rooms, Liam puts on the purple jersey for the first time, getting ready for his first football game ever. Since Liam is one of the new players, he doesn’t get first call, but the coach told him he might be a substitute later in the game.

When walking out onto the field and warming up with his teammates and the opposing team, reality kicks in for Liam. This isn’t just another practice or a fun little game between mates, today the score counts. Just when Liam thinks the pressure is too much, a hand settles on his neck and squeezes lightly, fingers massaging the tense muscles, making them relax involuntarily. “Relax. You are making me anxious as well.” At Liam’s questioning look, Harry explains himself. “Your scent changes when you are anxious and it affects me. It’s almost like you can transfer your emotions onto me.”

Liam has a flashback to the day he tried meditating with Harry, to the fear he felt and how shaken Harry was afterwards. He feels bad immediately.

“Does it work with everyone?” Liam asks, leaning back into Harry’s touch who now uses two hands to massage Liam’s neck.

“No, only with werewolves I think. It only ever happened with you and Nick.”

“Nick?” Harry’s hands stop moving. “As in Nick Grimshaw. Last years captain of the football team?”

“Yes?” Harry retreats his hands and takes a step back. Liam turns around to face him.

“Is he a werewolf as well?” He whispers, but not without checking if anyone is in hearing distance.

“He is, yes.” Harry answers after a few moments.

“Are there many other werewolves?”

“You two are the only ones I know.” Before Liam can think too much about that piece of information, Harry continues. “But let’s not talk about that, yeah? We’ve got a game to win.” Harry tries a reassuring smile but fails miserably before jogging back to the others. Thinking positive thoughts as to not make Harry anxious, Liam joins the others as well. A positive attitude is better anyway when you want to win something.

The first half goes by in a flash. Both teams are trying to get the upper hand, knowing how much mental impact the first goal has. But since both are so determined, no goals are made. The Manchester defence was able to block the attack most of the time, just once did an opponent go through, but Josh did an incredible job in the goal and caught the ball. Liam jiggles his leg the whole time he’s sitting on the bench. He remembers what Harry told him about conveying emotions and tries to stop, but he is just so nervous. There is just something extremely exciting and nerve wrecking about watching a football match when your mates are playing.

During half time, Coach Corden gives them an empowering speech and points out weaknesses he has seen in the opponent’s team. Then coach comes up to Liam and asks if he would be up to play in the second half. At first, he thinks Corden is joking, since he still is an unexperienced player, but then he sees Harry giving him a thumbs-up from behind the coach and swallows dryly. Is he really ready to play a game yet? He only had the chance to practice for three weeks whereas the others had a year. On the other hand, the coach wouldn’t ask him to play if he didn’t think Liam was good enough. Still, as he gives the coach an ‘Okay’, he feels a metaphorical weight settle on his shoulders.

On the way back to the field, Harry squeezes his shoulder, giving him silent support. He probably can smell the fear in Liam’s scent.

Twenty minutes later, when the game has already started again, Coach calls him over from where he was doing his warm up, to tell him that he’ll be going in soon. Not long after he takes his place in defence and silently prays that the ball won’t come near him.

At first, it’s hard for him to get his head in the game, but when the first opponent comes running towards him, instinct kicks in and Liam easily takes the ball from his opponent. He quickly outplays the next opponent before passing the ball over to Matt in middle field. They don’t manage to score, but the fact that Liam didn’t screw up gives him confidence.

In game minute 71 Matt runs past the defence on the right side, kicking the ball to Harry who now only has a keeper between him and the goal. He scores, kicking the ball into the top left corner, making it the first goal in the game. Liam is jumping up and down and cheering with his team mates, glad that it worked out.

The opposing team is trying their hardest to even out the score, but Liam and his mates in defence manage to eliminate any chance for them to score. They end up winning, the boys all sweaty and happy.

They all hug and laugh, some even have tears in their eyes from happiness. Never in his lifetime has Liam experienced something like this. The joy of winning, the adrenalin of playing and the multiplied excitement of the team and the crowd make him feel something he never felt before.

Nottingham was a though one, but in the end, Manchester’s hard work payed off. The teams shake hands and congratulate and thank each other for the game, then they head to the showers.

Liam’s team blasts music and drinks beer, enjoying their victories between and during the showers before they take the party to their local pub where friends and fellow student await them with cheers. The fact that Liam’s body processes the alcohol he drinks before he has a chance of feeling the high doesn’t stop him from having the time of his life. Louis has stopped by and bough Liam a pint, then made Liam down shot after shot, joining in halfway through.

While Louis is hanging lazily off the bar next to him, Liam takes the time to let his eyes drift through the crowd. Dean is dancing on a table, almost falling off if it weren’t for Sean steadying him when he wobbles towards the edge. Eoin and Matt are throwing darts, the beer in their system making it harder for them to make the dartboard at all.

Liam feels before he sees Harry’s eyes on him. His roommate makes his way over to him from where he was watching the dart game go down, getting dragged into conversations and celebratory drinks on the way.

When he finally meets them at the bar, his clothes are more rumbled from all the hugs he was given on the way there.

“Having fun?” Liam asks him.

“Sure.” Harry answers, slinging his arm over Liam’s shoulders while turning to talk to Louis. “Will we see you at the next game? Supporting us in Stirling.”

“You can count on me.” Louis responds, lifting his pint in an affirming gesture. Immediately a hand grabs the pint out of Louis’ hand, Niall. Shucking almost half of it in one go, he lets out a content sigh.

“Thanks mate, I needed that. Been talking my mouth fuzzy with John over there.” Louis just continues to look at him unbelievingly, even when Niall places the glass back in his hand and claps him on the shoulder before he is off to the dart match.

Harry and Liam can’t hide their laughter anymore at the scandalous look on Louis face. The boisterous laughs make Louis’ face more bitterly, but after a few moments he starts chuckling as well. “Fucking Niall!”

After that Liam enjoys the rest of the night with his mates, before stumbling to bed early in the morning, aware that he has classes in just a few hours.

\--

With new energy the football team takes on practice. Everyone is just a tad bit happier and every move goes easier. The boys go to the pub every Friday after practice, celebrating their good work and the end of the week.

Liam tries to keep up with his studying but always gets distracted by Harry telling him crazy stories or Niall asking him to look over the lyrics and notes for a new song he wrote. Louis feels a bit neglected, so he comes to Liam’s room to pretend to be studying and joins them in the pub on Fridays.

Although Liam tries not to work himself up, he watches the moon grow fuller mere times a day on his new moon-watching-app. Now he is not sure if it is really the moon that is making him feel all antsy or if it’s all in his brain. Regardless, Harry notices how tense Liam gets with mere days separating them form the next full moon still. To Liam’s luck they have practice that exact same day and since it’s the last practice before their game against Stirling, Liam has to go or else he won’t be prepared or worse - not be allowed to play.

On Monday, Liam feels Harry’s gaze on him for seven minutes before he can’t stand it any longer. “Just say it. Say what’s on your mind.” Liam looks up and locks eyes with Harry who takes another 30 seconds before finally saying something.

“I was pondering about … you know … how I could help you ease up. But then I remembered what happened last time I tried to help and I don’t want to put you through that again.”

Liam’s heart melts a little as he hears that. “That is very considerate, thank you!” Fiddling with a loose thread on his sweatpants he adds: “I’m just nervous I think. Knowing what will happen in just a few days makes me nervous. And anxious.”

Harry hums understandably, then looks at Liam for a little longer.

“You’ll know what to do when the time comes.” Liam tries to reassure him, secretly hoping that he is right, that Harry will know what to do when this gets too much for Liam. He went through it as well after all. Which makes Liam wonder just how long Harry has been a werewolf for. Just as he is about to ask, Harry gets up and excuses himself.

“I need to make a call.”

_I’ll ask him later, Liam thinks, but he’s forgotten all about it by the time Harry comes back one and a half hours later._

\--

When Liam catches himself wanting to snap at Niall for playing his guitar too loudly, Liam knows that it is the full moon driving him mad and not just his nerves. He hadn’t realised just how overwhelmed his senses were until this very moment. And while Liam flinches at the quietest noise Harry doesn’t even blink when the team shouts and sheers in a tight circle around him in a practice match. Which is why Liam decides that he needs to ask Harry for help. He ought to know a trick to handle the noise, the smells and bright lights.

After practice when Harry and Liam are making their way back to their dorm room, Liam slows their pace to distance themselves from their teammates. Harry looks at him curiously and raises an eyebrow in silent question. Liam checks if no one is within hearing distance and still lets his voice drop to a whisper when he asks the question he desperately needs an answer to.

“How do you do it? How do you stay so calm even though the full moon is only two days away? Aren’t you going crazy with how sensible your senses are around this time of the month? Even more now than on other days.”

“It just comes with time, I think. You get used to it. Like to a new pair of glasses. And…” Harry breaks off.

“And?” Liam prods.

“There is a technique I used to do at the beginning that helped me.”

“What is it? Can you teach me? Because I’m a mess right now. Like a high-strung line.” Harry bites his lip before he answers.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if this one is for you. Because clearly things that work for me don’t work for you.” He is referring to the time they tried meditating, Liam knows.

“I’m willing to try anything. I’m tense all the time, I am an easy target for the wolf like this.”

“Alright, uhm, it is all in your focus. When the noises get to loud, I focus on something else, like the untied shoelaces of someone. Or my breathing. Counting every breath I take calms me down and instantly blocks out everything else.”

“Thank you.” Liam says earnestly. They walk the rest of the way in silence, a complete contrast to what awaits them in the boy’s dormitory. One of the boys blasts music over a Bluetooth speaker, some boys dancing, other shouting over the music to keep up their conversation. Suddenly it’s all too much and Liam feels the hairs at his neck rising. He clenches his fists and tries to focus on something else but he just can’t. Then he feels the pain of his fingernails digging into his palm and just like that he can easily focus on the pain and everything around him gets quieter.

When Harry and he get to their room, Harry closes the door to block out some of the noise. He crosses his hands behind his back and leans against the door. “Are you doing fine? Is it working?”

“I’m good, thank you.” Harry lets out a sigh of relief.

“Full moon is on Friday. As is our last practice before the game.”

“I know.” Harry hesitates before asking the question Liam is sure to follow.

“Do you think you can do it?” Liam had asked himself this question mere times since he found out about that the dreaded day falls on a practice day. He is not sure he’s got an answer yet.

“We’ll see. I do have hope though. Maybe with the trick you showed me, I can control the wolf a bit longer.”

“We’ll drive off to the woods right after practice ends. Have a save change in the woods.”

They hadn’t talked about this yet, but Liam is glad that Harry doesn’t leave him alone for his next change. He sends Harry a grateful smile, feeling warm when he gets a smile in return.

\--

Liam bunks out of the Halloween party on Wednesday, knowing he won’t be able to handle that many people and loud music this close to the full moon. Besides, his life is spooky enough at the moment. Liam tells Harry to just go and have fun without him, but Harry rolls his eyes and stays in with him, telling Liam about his favourite Halloween memories from when he was a kid. Liam ends up having more fun than he would have had at the party, especially when Niall and Louis join them later in their ridiculous Vampire and Zombie-Pirate costumes.

On Thursday, Liam tries following what his roommate taught him and is glad to see it working. He doesn’t feel as nervous about the next day anymore, thinking he’ll be able to handle the pull of the full moon now. Of course the next day Liam wakes up sweaty and ready to crawl out of his skin. He is stressed and lets his mind make the change a bigger problem than it should be. Liam is nervous and anxious about tonight, hoping the change will go over swiftly and also knowing that it will hurt like hell.

Harry and he pack their sports bags for practice with an extra change of clothes and extra water before leaving for practice. They drive to the football field that is only 700 meters away so they’ll be gone faster after practice.

The thing that worries Liam the most is that the shift is inevitable. It will happen whether Liam likes it or not. For the rest of his life he will be dependent on the moon. Will have to make sure that he doesn’t go out to party on full moons, must live near the forest or a large field to not hurt any humans. His breathing gets frantic just thinking about his future. Now there is even more to consider and worry about than finding a job and starting adult life and all that.

A hand on his shoulder makes him jump, having been totally lost in his thoughts.

“Payne.” Coach Corden addresses him. “Run. Go warm yourself up with the team.” Liam looks out onto the field and sees that the rest of the team has already started running laps. He sends his coach an apologetic smile and starts of running after the boys.

Out in the open, Liam feels the impact of the moon more strongly than last month. The moon gives him extra energy, but he also feels like he is about to hunt his teammate down instead of just blocking his pass. Liam stops in his tracks then, feeling the pull of the moon. He wants to howl but knows that that’s the wolfs want and suppresses it. Harry takes him aside the third time it happens, gesturing to the coach that he’ll handle this. He is the captain after all.

“Liam.” He says. “What is going on?”

“The wolf wants control. I’m not sure how long I can hold it back.”

“Liam, you can do it. You are stronger than you think!” Harry grabs his shoulder and squeezes, Liam takes a deep breath. He smells grass, sweat and metal, but Harry’s scent, warm and welcoming, overpowers them all. Unconsciously he leans forward, the hand on his shoulder not keeping him away but instead pulling him in. He falls against Harry, burying his nose in the crook of his neck and scents him. Calm settles over him, his limbs feeling looser by the second. Reluctantly he pulls back, knowing that the boys are watching them and that they ought to be practicing. “Just another half an hour then we can get out of here.”

Liam nods and takes his place in defence again, ignoring the looks the others shoot him. He still feels the pull but he doesn’t act on it, ignoring the wolf’s visions. It is not the best he’s played yet, but at least it isn’t the disaster it could have been. Everyone is still alive by the time Harry and Liam climb into his car, foregoing the shower because they’ll need one after the change anyway and it is more important to get to the forest right now than to smell fresh.

During the car ride Liam grits his teeth. He feels the change coming closer, his body willing to shift into the wolf form. Relieve floods through him when they arrive at the forest, but seconds after the first wave of the change hits him. He groans in pain, his stomach pulling together tightly. “Shit.”

Harry rapidly stops the car and shuts off the engine. “It’s alright, Liam. Don’t fight it, remember?” Liam just groans, opening the door and all but falling out of the car in his haste to get out. He stays right there on his knees next to the car, hearing Harry get out himself and coming around to Liam’s side.

“You might want to get out of your clothes if you don’t want them ripped.” Seems logical but Liam is not sure how far he’ll be able to undress himself before the pain will make it unbearable. He shrugs of his shirt first than kicks off his trainers. He is just wiggling out of the football trousers when the next wave hits him. Harry makes as if to help him get out of his clothes, but Liam would rather shred his trousers than get undressed by him right now. Harry is already naked, always quick ridding himself of clothes Liam has noticed in almost two months of living together.

“Breath. Just breath and let it happen.” Harry murmurs. He now is on his knees as well, twitching as he is holding back the change to wait for Liam to start. Liam is grateful for that since he doesn’t think he could handle watching the shift happen. He takes a deep breath and lets the wolf take over.

\--

Liam wakes with his face pressed into hair. He splutters and turns his head away to get in some air. _How could he sleep like that and not die at lack of oxygen?_ He looks at the grey sky above him, watches the clouds move with the cold wind before he cuddles back into the warmth of the body next to him. The hand that he has draped over the person next to him slides over warm skin, his fingertips bushing against leaves. Will he ever get used to waking up in the forest? Will he ever get used to spending the night as a wolf?

The wind pipes up and makes Liam shiver with cold. Harry’s warmth is just too tempting for Liam to even consider moving away, so he yawns and presses against Harry more firmly, pressing his face into the back of his neck.

When he wakes again it is to a foot poking him in the ribs. “Come on, Liam. I wanna get going.” Liam yawns and stretches. Something soft that Liam identifies as joggers lands on his stomach. A fully clothed Harry is looking down at him, seemingly impatient but with a smile playing around his lips. “Come on, get up, get dressed. I have stuff to do.” Liam laughs when a T-shirt hits him straight in the face a moment later.

Liam gets dressed and follows Harry to the car. Liam is looking out the window on the drive back. He sees the wide field and wonders what his wolf got up to last night.

“Do you remember what we did last night?” He asks his roommate.

“Only parts. The wolf and I have an understanding, he lets me see some of the things he sees. Wasn’t anything too spectacular though. Just you and me running around and playing.” Harry shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m not even sure if I want to know what my wolf got up to last night.”

“It’s not as horrible as you think it is. I’m sure that the wolf wouldn’t show you the bad bits unless you two do not get along.”

“Which is the case.” Liam argues. “I may slowly accept that I am a werewolf now, but I want to stay as much human as possible. If I could, I’d switch back to being a normal human being any second.”

“Really? You’d give all of this up?”

“In a heartbeat. And what even is ‘this’?”

“Better sight, faster metabolism, more energy, faster reflexes, being stronger, hearing better, …”

“It’s all too much.” Liam knows, can feel that Harry want to say something, but he stays silent. He pities himself enough, he doesn’t need Harry’s pity as well. Liam is thankful when they finally arrive on campus where a warm shower awaits them. He may have woken up quite happy, but by now the reality of what had happened has kicked in again and he wants nothing more than to wash the remnants of last night away.

\--

Just like last time, Liam feels ecstatic the day after the shift. He feels like he has got his body under control and there is this underlying peace within him. Louis notices and asks if he got laid last night. Liam rolls his eyes, annoyed, and continues his way to his room. Louis follows him, going on about who it could have been. Then they enter their room where Harry is folding his washing. There must be something about him since Louis stops his rambling and stares at Harry.

“No way!” He gasps.

“What?” Liam asks.

“You shagged Harry!” Louis exclaims, mouth turning into a smirk.

“What? No!” Liam stumbles towards him, hands gesturing wildly. “Why would you think that?”

“’Cuz you both got the same loose energy around you. And you both left quickly after yesterdays practice and didn’t return ‘til this morning.” Liam is speechless. “Did you drive to your secret love nest, or what?”

“That isn’t… That wasn’t what we were up to.” Louis has got his thinking face on and Liam knows what he’ll say next before he says it.

“Didn’t something like that happen about a month ago, almost at the beginning of the semester? Niall told me about it.” Liam looks at Harry, panicked. Louis cannot find out what a monster he is.

“Liam had a bit of a tough phase at practice yesterday, so I decided to take him out. Get his mind out of it, you know?”

“Right.” Louis says slowly, still sceptical. “But that doesn’t mean that you didn’t shag.”

“Really, Louis? Don’t you think I’d be parading around when I had slept with Liam Payne? I’d want everyone to know. He is quite a catch, isn’t he?” The blood is rushing to Liam’s face. He can’t look at either of his mates, eyes focusing on the scrap at the door where someone must have kicked it.

“I’m not convinced yet, but I have to get going. Oli is waiting on me.” Louis is out the door in a second, leaving Harry and Liam standing in their room, quiet and unmoving.

“Thanks.” Liam manages to get out after about two minutes. The air between them isn’t awkward but it is charged. Harry complimented him lots of times before, but it has never been about something like this. The fact that Harry wouldn’t be averse to sleeping with Liam is running loops in his mind. Harry continues folding his washing while Liam is trying to figure out if Harry was maybe just joking. He decides there is no use in pondering on it further and sits down at his desk, trying to get some studying done.

While Liam pretends to be studying - his mind is drifting off to Harry all the time - Harry has settled on his bed and started reading. The sun is setting outside of their window and colours the room in bright orange. Liam can’t help sneaking glances at Harry who glows in that light. An hour later the only light in the room is the lamp on Harry’s beside table. It would be too dark to read for Liam, but it isn’t like he was really studying anyway.

Stealing another glance at Harry, Liam takes in the way the shadows make his jawline look even sharper. When he notices Harry looking back at him he forces a smile and closes his folder.

“Did you get something done?” Harry asks him, although he must know the answer. There is no way he hadn’t caught Liam staring into space.

“Lots.” Liam lies. “And you have been procrastinating?”

Harry chuckles. “Yes. But to be fair, I studied while you were out with Louis.”

“Touché.” Liam sits there, eyes locked on Harry’s. Moments that feel like eternity pass before Harry raises an eyebrow. This shakes Liam out of it and makes him rise out of his seat. He searches for his toiletries and grabs the bag. “I’ll brush my teeth and get ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow.” He spins around and almost runs into Tom in the hallway in his haste to get out of the room. He’ll have to stop making things awkward. Tomorrow will be better he hopes.

\--

On Sunday Liam wakes with the first rays of sunshine. Today they have a game against Stirling. Liam gets out of bed and takes a quick look at his still sleeping roommate before he finishes packing his sports bag. An hour later they are on their way to Stirling. The bus ride is a fun little adventure. Niall makes everyone sing along to the songs he plays over his Bluetooth speaker, hyping the team up. Liam is seated next to Harry who sings with all his heart, not even trying to hit the notes. Liam’s heart warms at the sight, but he quickly looks away when he sees Josh looking at him.

Stan shoots the first goal for Manchester in the 24th minute. After that, Manchester makes one mistake after the other, but luckily Josh manages to catch each ball that Stirling manages to shoot at the goal.

Liam gets to play the whole second half, the Coach wanting to freshen up the defence. Louis is cheering for him on the bleachers, chanting all the embarrassing calls he promised he’d make. Liam would be nervous if it weren’t for how hard he has to work to not let the opposers through. There have been many almost goals for Stirling by the time the game ends, but Manchester held against them and managed to end the game as the winner.

They pile into a group hug, happy, but not overly so, everybody knowing that they didn’t play their best. The party in the bus home is insane though. Sean brought beer and Niall blasts songs through the speakers. By the time they enter their local pub, everyone is at least tipsy. Louis greets him with a Guinness already waiting for him. The team already has adopted him with how often they meet him at the pub, so it’s no surprise when they include him in their post-game antics. Liam is at his quiet spot at the bar again, surveying the scene. It is a bummer that the alcohol gets processed so quickly in his blood. He would love to let loose like the others do.

Sadness gets the better of him, when he realises that he’ll never be a normal boy again. Growing up with a non-functioning kidney taught him to consume alcohol in small units if he wants to drink. When he did, he felt it more than other teens his age. But now? Now he feels nothing, even when he drinks a lot. If his assumptions are correct, he won’t even suffer a cold. It’s the little things in life that make you human and … my god, Liam isn’t human any more. At least not 100 percent. The definition of werewolf is man-wolf. He’ll be part wolf for the rest of his life. The more he thinks about his life now or in the future, the worse it gets. He needs some air.

Distracted, he sets his glass down on the counter and moves along his teammates to the front door, taking in a deep breath when he is outside. He immediately regrets his latest decision because cigarette smoke hangs thick in the air, resulting in a coughing fit. Liam tried smoking before, but his lungs were too bad for it. Maybe now he could, maybe at least this the wolf could give him. He moves forward, his mouth already opening to ask the guy closest to him for a cigarette when a hand on his arm stops him.

“What are you doing?” Harry asks, irritation written on his face. Liam bites his tongue, the smoke having betrayed his wolf senses. Normally, he would have sensed Harry coming near.

“Just going for a smoke.” Liam replies as indifferent as possible.

“You don’t smoke.” Harry says, but he sounds unsure.

“I could, couldn’t I?” He says annoyed, frustration making itself known. If he already is cursed with the wolf, he should take advantage. Do dangerous stuff and not worry about dying. Use his strength and speed to win medals and earn the cash. But that’s not him. Fuck! What is this wolf doing to him?

Never before in his life has Liam felt the need to get drunk like in this moment. He wants for once to not worry about anything, to let loose, forget all his worries. What if the reason he can’t get drunk is because the percentage of the alcohol he drank is too low? Maybe if he drank hard liquor he would get drunk. Even if just for a little while before his blood has processed the alcohol. Without a second thought, Liam leaves to find the next store. He hears Harry keeps calling his name, but then he rounds the next corner and the voice cuts off. Harry knows better than to follow him right now. In the next store Liam finds Bacardi 151. At the checkout he cringes internally at the price. But it is a price that he needs to pay, to finally get what he wants. The lady at the register looks at him strangely for a second before she sells it to him.

Not far from the store Liam sits down on a bench and opens the bottle. He takes a large sip of Bacardi, then starts drinking it like water. A little while after he feels a little woozy but just as sudden as it hits him, the feeling is gone. In frustration he drinks more, chasing the feeling, but it always disappears right on the corner of feeling tipsy. In no time the bottle is emptied and Liam is left frustrated and angry. The 75,5% was not enough to make him drunk. The little wooziness at the beginning is not worth it drinking another bottle again. What does he have to do to be kind of normal again? Liam gets up and walks in circles, one hand pulling his hair while the other squeezes the bottleneck. For him it is not so much about the drunkenness than about feeling like a normal human again. Something it seems that he’ll never ever achieve again.

Another wave of anger washes over him and he smashes the bottle on the pavement. The glass shatters into little pieces that spread far. Immediately Liam regrets his decision. He never has been one to lose his temper, not even when he got bullied in school. The new sense of guilt gets replace by anger at himself for losing control like that. Liam sees red for a second and marches over to the next litter and punches it. To his wonder his fist goes through the metal. Amazed he pulls his hand back and looks at his bloody knuckles. When he tries to move the hand, it hurts rather a lot. His fingers are hanging limp from is lose hand, maybe he broke his hand. If he hadn’t been bitten none of this would have happened. He could be in his dorm room and not make stupid decisions.

It feels like he is stuck in a vicious circle, stuck between anger and guilt. Liam decides to not go to a doctor, that he deserves the hurt as a punishment for his actions. The walk home sobers him up, not from the alcohol, but from his anger and self-hatred.

Harry opens the door to their room before Liam is even near. He looks worried even before he sees the dried blood on Liam’s right hand. “Liam. What happened?” He asks, coming closer. Liam takes a step back, not wanting any help. Harry pauses, holding his hands up placatory. “Don’t be an idiot.” He almost scolds. Liam lowers his hand and takes a step forward, inviting Harry to come rushing towards him. “You broke your hand. But it is healing already.” Harry informs him. “Come on in. I’ll take care of you.”

Liam’s heart warms at the sentence. Harry said he’d take care of him and not the wound. Just the small difference is enough to make him smile to himself. Harry shoves him gently into their room and on his bed, searching through his stuff piled by the door. A minute later he returns with a first aid kid. “It came a lot in handy in my first year, back when I was still clumsy. I’d sometimes get a door slammed in my face and have a bloody nose or I’d fall and have scratched my knees badly. Just my luck.” Harry takes out the disinfectant spray and cleans Liam’s wounds, being careful not to press too hard.

It turns out that the openings in the skin have already healed and that Harry only cleaned up the blood. Liam’s bones are still broken though, so Harry bandages his hand tightly to make them grow back together in the right places. Throughout the procedure Liam crunches his teeth, trying to be quiet about it because Harry apologizes with every sound of pain Liam makes.

They sit in silence after Harry is done. Liam is staring at the floor while he feels Harry looking at him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Liam twists his hand again, wanting to feel the pain.

“Stop that.” Liam looks up at Harry. “You don’t need to punish yourself for who you are!” How does he know?

“I’m not sure what you are talking about.” Liam tries.

“Oh come off it, Liam. You forget sometimes that you are not the only werewolf. I know what you are going through.”

“Do you, though? To me it seems like you are quite content in your skin. That you like being a werewolf. I don’t.” Liam’s blood is boiling again. To Harry everything comes easily. Liam just wants to be normal again.

“Don’t you think I had troubles at first too? I couldn’t accept the wolf like I wanted to. Building the connection I now have with my wolf was hard work and you are not even trying.”

Liam would like to continue fighting but unconsciously he knows that Harry is right.

“I’m sorry. It’s all just too much for me now.” Liam tries to make eye contact with Harry, but Harry is intentionally avoiding it.

“I get it. You were thrown into a world you knew nothing about. Of course you are rejecting the gift. It isn’t like you wanted it. You were given something you’ll have to live with till the end of your life without being asked if you wanted it. I should have been more understanding, I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?” Now curious, Liam leans forward. It sounds like Harry knew about werewolves before his first change. Or maybe… “Were you born a werewolf?”

“No. I … I asked for the bite.” Liam is stunned silent. It makes sense, like how Harry can’t relate to him, but not why he would want it. The ‘gift’, like Harry called it, comes with too much a loss to consider it, Liam thinks.

“What…Why did you do that?”

“Because of all the benefits. Once you realise the good part of being a werewolf, your life will be better than before, promise.” As if. What good can there be to being a wild animal that forces control over you?

“Believe me, there are upsides to this even if you can’t see them now. Like I was like a deer on skates before the bite and now I am captain of the football team. I used to wear reading classes and now I can see a bird going through the underwood more than 200 meters away.”

“Well that is because you are long-sighted.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It is.” They sit in silence for a minute in which Liam calms down again. He gets easily angry today, he’s noticed, and he doesn’t want to fight Harry again. “How did you find out about werewolves?”

“A close friend of mine told me about a year ago that he was a werewolf. When we were younger he was a bit awkward and clumsy like me, but when I saw him again at uni he was different somehow. Not personality wise, but his reflexes and his senses were loads better, so I asked him jokingly if he got cloned by aliens or something. We were both a little drunk, so when he told me he was actually bitten by a wolf I didn’t believe him. We talked about it again when we were sober and he stood by his statement, even offered to show me when I still didn’t believe him.” Harry takes a shuddering breath, then continues.

“So on the next full moon he shifted in front of me and told me all the ups and downs of being a werewolf in the morning. I was so fascinated and so badly wanted what he had. I was sick of being the goofy kid that couldn’t put one foot in front of the other without falling. So I convinced him to bite me. Nick didn’t want to for understandable reasons, but I buggered him long enough that he finally bit me.” Harry let’s his shaking hand go through his curls.

“The first few days were harder than I imagined. Hell, the first change I regretted everything, but Nick stood by me and helped me through it. He taught me most of what he knew and once I accepted what I’d done, the wolf accepted me as well and since then the bite really changed my life for the better. I would never take it back.” Liam sits stunned silent. He can’t believe how reckless and yet brave Harry was. He couldn’t imagine ever doing the same thing.

“That’s how you made it onto the football team mid-season?” Harry nods. “You said ‘Nick’. Is this Nick the same Nick that was football captain last year?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s him.”

“I’m sorry I judged you without knowing your story.” Harry just shrugs his shoulders. ‘Shit happens’ he seems to say. “Well, then I’ll go brush my teeth.”

Back to normal is the best solution Liam can come up with for all that happened this evening. His brain doesn’t think so because he lies awake until early in the morning just thinking everything over and over, replaying every scene, every word.

At breakfast, Liam isn’t the only one with bags under his eyes.

\--

Liam catches himself always watching Harry out of the corner of his eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s at practice, alone in their room or hanging out with their friends. Somehow knowing about how Harry became a werewolf changes Liam’s view of him. There is this tension between them and Liam knows it’s because he knows now. Their views on the whole wolf thing clash and Liam is sure that it will become an issue for them at some point.

Harry and he still work well together on the field and as roommates, but they are like the same pole of a magnet, always pushing each other apart. They don’t talk as much, silence surrounding them. The other boys notice of course but choose not to ask about it.

Liam keeps more to himself over the course of the next few weeks, spending more time in the library than he used to. Since their talk Liam feels uncomfortable around Harry. Harry’s reasoning for becoming a werewolf still doesn’t sit right with Liam and he feels like he might snap if he spends too much time with him.

The team is preparing for their first home game. Tomorrow is the big day and somehow the anticipation is different when you know the game is being held at your university. Liam and Harry are in charge of buying water and other beverages since Harry has a car. It seems like a joke to Liam how well they work together without even speaking to each other. Like a well-oiled machine they put away the drinks in the trunk and on the back seat of Harry’s car. Back at uni, Harry puts a hand on the trunk so Liam can’t get the beverages out of the car. Confused, Liam looks at Harry who looks unsure.

“Liam…” He starts but doesn’t continue for another minute. “I…” He groans. “We need to talk.” Harry let’s out in a rush, eyes closed.

Liam’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. He hadn’t expected Harry to address the weird air around them. “Alright.” Neither says anymore and Liam bites his lip as not to laugh at how awkward it is between them now. Their friendship could be at risk if the tension between them doesn’t dissipate but Liam finds their approach at it utterly ridiculous. “Have you not got anything to say?” Liam teases. Harry freezes and unfreezes, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I do. I just don’t know how.” Liam shrugs.

“Just say it. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“It just is really important to me and I don’t want to fuck this up.” Harry looks at him intently and Liam feels his cheeks heating.

“Oi! Can you two quit flirting and bring over the water?” Niall calls. Both Harry and Liam flinch and jump apart. Even though Liam knows they weren’t flirting, more blood rushes to his cheeks. He makes eye contact with Harry who then opens up the trunk and they bring the water into the storage room.

Liam feels Harry watching him all throughout the day, knowing that he wants to talk, but they are busy preparing for tomorrow and in the evening back in their room Liam is too tired and falls asleep on top of his sheets. In the morning they are busy setting up and then they are already changing into their tricots.

The team is standing in line awaiting the boys from Northumbria when Harry tenses up next to him. The team bus had pulled up and the doors open, letting out the players. Liam smells it now as well; there is a werewolf on this bus, the scent now easy to pick out from the others. The werewolf steps down the stairs and immediately looks intensely at Harry and Liam, mouth moving into a smirk.

Liam shares a look with Harry while the players go round shaking hands. Liam picks up that the other werewolf is called Daniel and eyes him warily. When it is his turn shaking Daniels hand, he immediately feels uncomfortable. There is something about the scent of the other player that sets him off. It is bitter and strong in his nostrils, almost overpowering anything else. Only Harry’s scent manages to come through, getting stronger and stronger the more he focuses on the familiarity of it.

Daniel moves on to Harry, their scents fighting for dominance. Liam starts feeling dizzy, Harry looks at him worriedly. He reaches a hand out and lays it in Liam’s neck, massaging the muscles there. “Everything alright?” he asks. Liam just nods, the thick scents just were a bit much for him. As Daniel moves down the line, his scent gets less offensive and Harry calms down as well, not emitting such a strong scent anymore.

Soon after they start their warm up as the crowd starts filtering in on the bleachers. Liam can see Louis waving at him, but he can only spare him a small wave since he is focused on Daniel. That boy is really good with the ball and Liam can already see that it is going to be a hard game. Not only is Daniel good with the ball, he is fast and not shy to foul. When he notices Liam watching, he shows off.

Harry jogs up to him and whispers. “He is good, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Liam whispers back, but from the knowing smirk in their direction, Liam knows that Daniel heard him. Damn werewolf senses.

When the coach tells them the game line up, Liam is surprised to hear that he is first line. That earns him a few congratulatory claps on the back while others look sourly into the grass because they are not playing yet.

What Liam learns in the first five minutes of the game is that Northumbria plays aggressively. He is constantly needed in defence and has to deal with Daniel attacking him. Luckily Liam is a werewolf as well and is able to block his attempts. Any normal human being would have lost. Distantly he hears Louis cheer for him whenever he as much as moves.

In the last minute of the first half, Northumbria manages to score. Resigned, Manchester walks back into the changing rooms. The team is both mentally and physically exhausted. Coach Corden gives them an empowering speech and changes their game strategy into a more offensive one.

The coaches’ efforts get rewarded only 12 minutes into the second half. Alan manages to trick one of the Northumbrian players and creates a gap in their defence. He gets through and passes the ball to Stan who kicks it in the goal seconds before an opposing player fouls him.

After a few minutes of decision number 16 gets a yellow card for his actions. The medics leave Stan with the allowance to continue playing, even though he still limps after they have left the field.

The game is continued only for Northumbria to get even more offensive and aggressive. Seems like they didn’t like getting a yellow card. They get away with a lot of fouls but get a bit too cocky as the game progresses. They foul Harry as he gets ready to score and save the ball to the offside which earns Manchester a corner kick.

The crowd is silent in anticipation since this ball could decide the game for Manchester. Phil starts and kicks the ball in an arc right to Liam’s head as he jumps. Liam turns his skull just so that the ball hits the net in the goal as he feels an elbow harshly hitting him in the ribs. He groans in pain and for once is glad for the super healing being a werewolf supplies because his team is jumping around and taking him with them, shoving Daniel, who was right next to him, out of the way. His confusion about the scowl on Daniels face gets replace by the realisation that he just scored his first goal. Liam celebrates with his team mates for seconds only before the game is continued and the last seven minutes are running out.

The last remaining seconds pass by near the Northumbrian goal, but the game ends with 2:1 for Manchester. The crowd is the loudest Liam’s ever heard and Liam is impossibly grateful for all their support. The team have a group hug and then shake the other team’s hands. Daniel looks more angry than sad but Liam is too happy to think much of it. After, he runs to the bleachers and hugs Louis. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Northumbria walk to the changing rooms, but then Niall hollers his name and engulfs him in a hug as well.

Liam feels high of the feel of a win at ‘home’ and his first ever goal in a game. He takes a shot with Louis and drinks the cold beer he hands him afterwards which is why he is the last of the players to hit the showers.

Lost in his thoughts Liam walks to the changing rooms and only belatedly smells Daniel coming close. Daniel pushes him against the wall and boxes him in the stomach. Liam falls over in pain but Daniel catches him and punches him in the face so hard that Liam’s head hits the wall. Already, Liam sees less on his left eye, the pain at the back of his head making it hard for him to focus on what the hell is going on.

“Oi, what’s your problem?” A voice calls from further down the corridor. Liam turns his head and sees Harry standing there, hands clenched in fists. Daniel just huffs and hits Liam again. Liam would like to defend himself, but his body isn’t responding. Desperation is swelling in him when Daniel aims again, but before he can take the hit Harry is there. Harry tackles Daniel to the side, yelling at him to stop. Both get up of the ground and this time Daniel aims his hits at Harry who dodges the punch barely a blink to early. The second hit though collides with Harry’s nose and with both guys having werewolf reflexes and strength it is easy to see how bad of a fighter Harry is.

Daniel uses Harry’s hurt reaction to box him in the stomach like he did to Liam. Seeing Harry hurt makes Liam regain control of his muscles and move towards Daniel to somehow harm him. How? Liam doesn’t know but his body moves automatic now. Daniel senses him and turns around quickly to punch him in the chest which sends Liam falling backwards to the floor.

Harry growls and runs against Daniel and pins him at the wall. Instead of punching him like Liam would have expected Harry roars at him and then he is morphing into a mixture of wolf and human. His ears grow pointier and hairy while his face moves into a grimace and his fangs grow. Shocked, Liam and Daniel back away only Daniel is still pinned to the wall, claws holding him in place. Harry though doesn’t seem to notice any of it.

 _“Stop that!”_ Harry growls and Liam can feel the strength of his voice go through his body. _“Go back to your team and leave us alone before I start hitting back!”_ He lets the other werewolf go and pushes him in the direction of the changing rooms, making sure he actually goes there. Daniel almost runs away, but he still turns around in horror like he is making sure he isn’t imagining things.

When Daniel has turned the corner Harry relaxes and turns around to face Liam. Golden eyes stare at him and Liam tenses, he feels his heart rate picking up.

“Is everything alright?” Harry asks, but all Liam can think is _fangs_. He backs up when Harry tries to get closer to him until suddenly his back hits the wall and just like that he is transported back to _that_ night. He can’t see much but the golden eyes and the fangs glistening in the moonlight. A shiver runs down his spine and a gasp escapes him. As he presses himself closer to the tree behind him he waits for the creature to attack him. But it doesn’t, it just looks at him. Through the smell of the leaves and mud Liam can smell cheap cleanser. He realises that he isn’t really back in the woods and fights for coming back to his senses.

But Harry still looks so much like the wolf that night did. The prominent parts are the same. “Stay away.” He almost begs.

“Liam, what is going on? Are you alright?” Harry asks. Liam gets angry. Harry just doesn’t get it.

“Can’t you see what a monster you are?”

“What do you mean?” Harry asks. Liam nods to Harry and bares his teeth, hoping Harry will get the message.

Confused, Harry touches his own teeth. His eyes widen when he feels the sharp end of his fangs, then he seems to feel his claws poking his cheek because he takes his hand away in a rush to look at it. Unbelieving, he looks at Liam. All of the stacked away feelings from the last few weeks push at him and Liam doesn’t want to hold back anymore. Standing up, he lets out what he’s been thinking all along

“I can’t believe you actually asked to be like that.” Disgust seeps into Liam’s voice. Harry’s face hardens.

“You don’t know what it’s like” Harry says loudly. “Being all clumsy and being the joke of the class.”

“Oh, I know what it’s like being the joke of the class, but never once would I have wanted to be turned into a monster to change it. But I don’t think you have a clear image of yourself, because even though you were clumsy, you still were charming and had everyone wrapped around your little finger. It wasn’t even necessary for you to get yourself bitten, because you were popular before you were good at sports.” Liam groans and gestures wildly with his hands. “It was so egoistic of you to ask for the … the curse. A curse it’s what it is. It ruins your life. I’ve been bitten unwillingly and you asked for the bite just to become more popular.”

“The bite is a gift, but you wouldn’t understand it. You already had a good life. And how mean could they have been to you if you didn’t even want to change it. You even were happy with just one working kidney. You don’t deserve to have the fast healing or the bettered senses. They’re wasted on you!”

“Well, I don’t want them. I don’t want to be a beast that hunts every full moon. And seeing how much you transformed already, it seems like werewolves don’t always only change on full moons. And for your information, I was bullied for years and got beat up, but never once did I think hitting back was a solution. Being transformed into part animal wouldn’t have made them like me. Just like it wasn’t you being a werewolf that made you popular. You were so stupid.” Liam thinks about what will happen next and decides that he has to get everything off his chest first. “You still are so stupid if you are so glad to have made the decision to become a werewolf.”

Harry looks furious, his golden eyes shining back at Liam. His hands clench and unclench at his side, his body beginning to tremble. Even though Liam is internally freaking out about standing in front of half a wolf, he puts a foot in front of himself and steps closer to Harry, chin held high to fake bravery.

“Go on, fully turn into the wolf you want to be. Show me and all those people out there what a monster you can be. How strong you are now, how fast you can run after them and how sharp your fangs and claws are when you sink them into them. Go on. Show them. Show me!” His voice getting louder with every word.

Harry growls and fists his hands in his hair, nails clawing at his scalp, body trembling as he stares at the floor. “Fuck!” He yells as he punches the wall with his left arm. The tiles there shatter and give away to a dent in the wall. His breathing is laboured and he is hunching down.

“Shit!” Liam murmurs as Harry fully sinks to his knees and the hair on his arms grows longer and thicker. Oh god, it looks like he is actually shifting. He didn’t mean to provoke him that much. “Harry…” He starts but Harry immediately starts to shut him off.

“Go! Go, now!” He knits out between his pressed together teeth. Liam stands there dumbly for a few moments, looking at the hunched person in front of him, that resembles more and more a wolf than a human. When another growl echoes in the otherwise empty hallway, Liam unfreezes and runs to the changing rooms, only taking his eyes off Harry once he has rounded the corner and he hears an animal running away, claws clicking on the floor. He releases a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding and feels his heart jumping frantically in his throat.

He sinks down onto the floor, back against the wall and takes in several shuttering breaths, trying to understand what just happened. He can’t believe he snapped like that at Harry. He made him so angry that he turned into a wolf. A shiver runs down his back when he thinks back to those golden eyes. They weren’t kind like Harry’s green eyes usually are. It’s like he was a completely different person. He was aggressive and mean, like he lost all control over himself. Liam didn’t think it was possible to change outside of the full moon. Seeing what happened to Harry made him even more afraid of who he is.

Seeing Harry as part wolf part human, wasn’t something he thought he’d see. Even though he already spent two full moons with Harry, Harry always made sure that Liam changed before him. The sight terrified him more than he thought it would. Harry just looked so much unlike himself and still it was clearly him.

Liam doesn’t want to think about what Harry is doing now. He must have fully changed into a wolf and ran outside. He really hopes he doesn’t attack anyone. The lack of screams coming from outside comforts Liam a little bit.

A few minutes later Niall comes out of one of the changing rooms, still laughing at something that happened in there. He stops when he sees Liam sitting on the floor.

“What’s up with you, mate?” His face is still in a half smile, but his eyes look genuinely concerned. Liam considers telling him the truth, but he wouldn’t even believe himself and doubts that Niall will.

“Just coming down.” Not completely a lie, but Niall looks like he knows something is up. Hopefully Liam doesn’t look like he just got beat up. The swelling on his eye at least has gone down.

“Where is Harry? He said he wanted to check on you. Did he find you?”

“He did, yeah. Then he went off, don’t know where he went though.” Niall opens his mouth as if to say something, then closes it again.

“You alright?” He finally says.

“Course, why wouldn’t I be?” Liam forces a smile, but Niall sees right through him.

“Mate, I’ve never seen someone so unhappy after shooting his first goal. Are you sure you are alright?”

“Harry and I had a fight.” He admits. There is no point in lying to Niall about that. He’s bound to find out sooner or later. He doesn’t need to know about what the fight was, though.

Niall’s face softens and he reaches out a hand to squeeze Liam’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll sort yourselves out. You spend so much time together since you joined the team that maybe Harry just needs some time to himself.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” When he smiles at Niall this time, it feels more like a real smile. “You are a great friend.” He says and watches Niall cackle.

“Of course I am. Somebody has to keep you guys in check. Now if you’ll excuse me, Louis is waiting with beer for me. See you at the pub?”

“We’ll see.” Liam says, knowing that if he goes, he won’t be there for long. Now though, the dried sweat on him is getting too gross to ignore and Liam heaves himself on his feet to finally take a shower.

\--

When Liam arrives at the pub, the celebration party is already in full swing. There are so many people there that if it weren’t for Dean standing on a table again, he wouldn’t have found the team so easily.

Liam doesn’t see Harry, but he didn’t really expect to see him. He’s not sure how long Harry will stay in the wolf form for, but he hopes that the wolf was smart enough to run into the forest and not harm anyone. The forest isn’t exactly near, so it should take Harry a while to get back when he transforms back into human form.

He takes the beer that is offered him and joins Louis who is animatedly talking to pretty girl.

“Oi, Liam, mate. You were awesome on the field. Like always. Liam, this is El; El, this is Liam. He scored the winning goal for our team today.” Liam blushes, but Louis waves him off like he doesn’t want him to play it down.

He talks to them for a while, but he can’t seem to keep his attention on the pair, his mind always drifting off to Harry and how his world just did a 180 for the second time in just a few months. He excuses himself quarter to midnight and makes his way back to his dorm room. Liam wonders briefly if Harry will be there but when he gets home to an empty room he doesn’t know whether he should be relieved or disappointed.

\--

He lays awake for an hour before he falls into a light sleep which is probably the only reason why he wakes up when Harry returns. His roommate is as silent as can be, but his strong scent gives him away. Harry doesn’t even bother turning on the lights, just grabs his toiletries and leaves again. Shortly after, Liam can hear running water.

He stays awake until Harry returns, the smell of wolf less strong and overlayered with honey. Liam knows that Harry knows that he is awake, his breathing way too fast for someone to be asleep, but neither comment on it. Liam just watches as Harry gets into bed, face facing the opposite wall. It takes a long while before either of them falls asleep.

\--

When Liam wakes, Harry is still out to the world. He looks peaceful like that, but now Liam knows exactly what happens every full moon. Or what should happen only on the full moon but happened yesterday with six days till that fateful night. A shiver runs down his spin as he pictures the fangs again. He feels a phantom bite at his side and sets his hand over it. Liam knows that there is nothing, but he still needs to check.

Rucking up his shirt he looks at his unharmed skin and lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Just thinking back to what the fangs of a werewolf have done to him, can do to an animal… Liam shakes his head to get rid of the images.

He quickly gets dressed, brushes his teeth, packs his backpack for his classes and takes it with him to his breakfast, not wanting to have to return to his room and run into Harry again, who might be awake by then.

And just like that he is back to avoiding Harry, only this time Harry is avoiding him as well which makes it somehow easier and harder to avoid each other. Easier because Liam doesn’t have to worry about Harry coming up to him when he sees him and harder because neither of them is in their dorm except for sleeping and thinking about it, the university doesn’t have that many hiding spots when you want to have access to wifi and need to load your laptop.

Liam has spent so much time actively avoiding his roommate that he almost forgets about the most pressuring matter at hand: the full moon on Saturday. The fight with Harry and the growing fear of what can actually happen when you shift early has Liam on edge. He is not able to concentrate well and is overly sensible to sounds and smells. He had originally planned to change with Harry in the woods this Saturday, but taking in the situation they are currently in, Liam doesn’t feel safe changing with Harry close.

Harry transforming on Sunday destroyed the trust Liam had built to him. Harry losing control like that even though he should teach Liam how to not lose control, doesn’t really scream ‘Your’re safe with me’ at Liam. But that just means that Liam must figure out how to shift safely on his own without putting anyone else in danger.

After his last classes on Friday Liam checks google maps and looks at the surroundings of the campus. He already kicked rooms at uni off his safe list because he couldn’t assure that no one would walk in or what the wolf would be capable of doing, not to mention the unexplainable damage that might be done. The forest Harry usually takes him too is located in the north-west with the City of Manchester in the east. Going into the city isn’t an option just like staying at uni isn’t. In his search he stumbles upon a cabin somewhere south-west from here, at least 3 miles separating it from the city. He quickly looks up the address and finds out that it is up for sale, has been for 13 years.

Liam makes the quick decision to spend the full moon there. Maybe he can get inside and lock himself in the closet or something. He looks up the nearest bus station and lets out a huff of breath. 2.4 miles. He’ll just wear his running shoes, no problem. Liam shuts his laptop off and leans back in his chair, closing his eyes he imagines his life without the bite.

\--

The next day Liam spends in the library, knowing he won’t get much done this weekend otherwise. When he gets back to his dorm room 2 hours before the sun will set, Harry is lounging on his bed, book in hand. Liam stops dead in his tracks because he wouldn’t have thought to see Harry here. Harry makes no move as if to acknowledge his presence so Liam changes into sports clothes and puts on his old running shoes. It’s been raining all day and Liam doesn’t feels like getting his newer ones all muddy.

“Going out tonight?” Liam jumps at Harry’s question. He quickly looks up but Harry still seems engrossed with his book.

“Actually, I am.” Harry’s fingers on his book tighten but otherwise he shows no reaction.

“The full moon is always the night were weirdos run around. Watch out for yourself.” Liam can’t help the shudder that runs over his body at Harry’s cold voice. He’s just glad that he doesn’t have to spend the full moon with him.

“I wouldn’t worry about me though.” Liam says as he leaves.

\--

The house isn’t as abandoned as Liam had hoped it would be. Sure, there is graffiti on the walls but the doors are locked and all the windows are still intact. It doesn’t feel right to break in, so Liam settles down on a rusty bench in the garden. It’s less of a garden than an extension to the forest. Nature had taken back everything that humans once harvested. He sits there in the cold rain, wishing he had brought a jacket or his phone. Watching the sky darken and the moon rising higher is nice and all, but Liam is getting a bit bored.

He can’t help but miss Harry’s presence. His mind is more settled, knowing that Harry is far away, but there is a pull within his body. Instantly Liam knows that some part within him misses Harry.

When Liam feels a tug in his stomach he starts stripping down. Before he knows it, Liam is on his knees squirming in pain as he fights the wolf. He knows he shouldn’t do it, but the past few days showed him what he really does not want to be. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone and he knows he’s got no control of his actions when he is a wolf.

Pain shoots through him like a strike of lightning. The last thing Liam sees before he blacks out is the cloudy sky over the line of trees.

\--

He is running, sprinting almost. The trees fly past him as he follows the scent. The run is joyful but full of purpose. He feels uneasy, confused about why he isn’t complete even if there are two of him. He runs farther. The scent gets stronger but it’s still so far away. He runs faster. A long time has passed before he finally sees it. A figure in the dark. Golden eyes focus on him and come closer. The rain pouring down on him doesn’t stop, but he doesn’t feel it anymore. The scent is strong in his nose, blending out everything else. He measures the distance and jumps.

\--

Liam wakes up on surprisingly soft, but slightly wet ground. Moss, his brain provides. The air is still thick with rain, but at least it has slowed down to a drizzle. He wants to get up, but something is holding him down. Just now does Liam notice the arms wrapped around his waist. He reaches out to loosen the hands, but the grip is tight. Liam groans and turns as far as possible to push Harry. When he doesn’t wake up, Liam pushes him again, this time harder. The arms tighten before Harry finally blinks awake.

Harry looks at him sleepily before he too seems to realise the hold he has on Liam and abruptly let’s go. Liam rolls his eyes and gets up, taking a look at his surroundings. He has no idea where he is. He isn’t anywhere near where he shifted and he isn’t near where Harry usually parks his car. Great. When he turns around to ask Harry whether he might have parked his car at a different spot this time, he sees Harry quickly look back down from where he has apparently been staring at Liam’s backside. A blush creeps it’s way on both of their faces as Liam realises just how naked they are.

He shivers as the wind pipes up and the rain comes down harder. He scowls as he runs his hands up his arms in a desperate attempt to get warm again. He may not be on good terms with Harry right now, but he’d rather sit in his car with him where the heating will warm him than freeze trying to find his now wet clothes and then walk home in them.

“Come on, let’s find your car.” Harry raises an eyebrow at him but doesn’t protest. He gets up and looks around, then sniffs the air. He shrugs and stalk off in one direction, leaving Liam to follow after him.

After half an hour of wandering around Harry finally knows where they are and leads them back to his car. Liam is not all too surprised when Harry hands him a change of clothes from his backseat.

“Always have spare ones with me.” He explains with a shrug, although the faint blush on his cheeks tells Liam otherwise. Liam doesn’t want to admit it, but the scent of Harry in his clothes is comforting and warms him from the inside.

\--

The fact that they haven’t really spoken with each other since their fight makes the drive back slightly awkward. Liam sits in the passenger seat and tries to ignore how his body seems to soak up Harry’s presence. He has found out last night that his wolf doesn’t like that he fought with Harry and now Liam isn’t sure if the Wolf is trying to help him or commanding him to make up with Harry. Either way, Liam is still too weirded out by the fact that a different part of him made him figure this out.

“You didn’t seem surprised to have woken up next to me.” Harry says. Liam had hoped that they could get home in silence, but apparently Harry wants to talk. He thinks about just not answering, but he knows that it wouldn’t help their situation and he is not that rude. They still share a room after all.

“I kind of figured it would happen. Last night … the wolf had something to tell me and let me see through his eyes last night.” Harry almost drives them in the curb as he whips his head around to look at Liam with big eyes.

“He let you see? And wanted to communicate with you?” He sounds surprised. Liam nods slowly, hoping that Harry will turn his eyes back on the road. Luckily, he does after a few seconds. Harry glances at him a few more times before he speaks again. “So are you finally one with your wolf then?”

“No.” Liam answers immediately.

“But he let you see?”

“Yeah.”

“Why? What did you see?”

“Nothing. Just my wolf running through the woods.” Liam would rather keep his revelation to himself. In the following quiet in the car Liam can hear Harry’s heartbeat rising. When he turns to look at him, he notices how Harry’s hands are clutching the wheel so hard that his knuckles show up in white. “Harry…”

“It’s so unfair! I don’t get why he lets you see. You don’t even want to be a werewolf. You don’t even appreciate it.”

“Oh sorry that I don’t want to be a deadly creature just to heal a bit faster.” Harry lets out an angry huff of breath.

“That’s so not … The wolf isn’t deadly.”

“Isn’t it? Looked like that to me when you attacked Daniel.”

“I didn’t attack Daniel. I protected you.”

“Yeah, right. That’s why you transformed. To make me feel safer and not threatened at all.”

“You don’t get it.”

“Of course I don’t. And to be honest, I don’t want to. The less I have to do with this werewolf stuff, the better.” Liam can hear Harry churning his teeth, but he stays quiet. The air between them is tense but Liam is too angry to care.

They don’t talk the rest of the way and when they reach the campus, both of them get out quickly and stomp back to their room. Liam grabs his phone and his laptop while Harry searches for his journal. Liam leaves the room before he has found it. Liam settles down at a coffee shop and stares at the script for over an hour before he closes his laptop and calls his mum, hoping the familiarity of her voice will make him feel better.

\--

If possible, Liam and Harry get on worse now than before. It’s not just avoiding each other but sending angry looks as well. It comes to the point where Niall, who usually doesn’t interfere unless it’s absolutely necessary, stops him after practice to talk to him.

“Liam, mate. I love you, but you need to get your shit together.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Harry. I know you two had a fight, but now it’s worse than before. What happened?”

“We had another fight.”

“Another? Liam, I know it’s hard, but you need to solve this. You two are setting the whole team off.” Niall is right. Practice today was the worst it has ever been. The shooting angry looks at each other distracted them both which resulted in uncoordinated passes which lead to irritated and annoyed teammates. “If you keep this going, Coach will get you off practice for a week. And then you’ll be benched for the next game.”

“What? Niall, please, this can’t happen.”

“Not my decision, mate. I’m just warning you. If your performance game is low you’re not playing.” Niall lays a hand on Liam’s shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze. “Do you want to talk about what is going on with you and Harry? You used to get along so well.” Liam wonders what to tell him for a moment, then decides to just leave out the supernatural part.

“I think we are just too different. We have different opinions on important stuff.”

“Can’t you just agree to disagree?” It’s a half-hearted effort but Liam is thankful either way.

“Maybe. We’ll have to see.”

“Just work it out. You’re messing us up.” Niall gives his shoulder a last squeeze before he goes to put away the training equipment. Liam doesn’t want his friends to worry, but he is glad that they care so much about him that they do.

\--

Liam tries to keep it together when it comes to Harry. He really tries, but their chemistry on the field is gone. At least it is enough to not get benched. Off the field though, Liam hides out in the library. Exams are more than a month away, but Liam is already spending all of his free time there. It saves him from running into Harry or having to see his friends worried faces and it does him the bonus of doing well in his classes. His friends know where he is hiding and sometimes come sit next to him and play on their phones to just simply keep him company. Liam appreciates them even more for that.

His mum is proud to hear that he is doing well in his classes, but she wants him to enjoy his time at uni as well. He assures her that he does that, that football is another thing he enjoys and that’s been really good to him. He tells her that he is already planning his stay for the holidays. Usually, he would drive up on the 23rd, but the whole Harry situation has him planning to go back home earlier. The football team has a game on the 16th but after that he is free to go, the break having just started then. Although he should stay for at least one practice.

Liam makes a point of spending more time with Louis and Niall after his phone call with his mother. He’ll be leaving for home in around a week and then it’ll be almost two weeks before he sees them again. Liam jams with Niall in the old music room and pranks his teammates with Louis. He is having a lot of fun and he is a bit mad at himself for missing out on that just because he had a fight with Harry.

Soon comes Sunday and the team is driving to Loughborough. Louis is sitting this one out, already back home with his family and Liam is already missing him. The game will be less fun without the cheers and catcalls from Louis.

After getting changed, the coach gives them a good pep talk and Harry makes them do their war cry. Still, the team is unsettled. Liam watches the first half from the side lines and it’s a right disaster on the field. Their defence do their best, but they get run down by Loughborough easily. The game is more aggressive than necessary which leads to Loughborough getting a free kick and hitting it in the goal after a miss formation in the wall of defence. Manchester’s rushers try to even out the game, but their passes aren’t precise, passing the ball to the opponent’s feet. Just barely does Manchester manage to go into halftime with only one goal behind.

Coach gives them a scolding and another pep talk, telling them to get their shit together. It doesn’t quiet work this way though. Loughborough is even more motivated the second half, asking the most of Manchester’s defence and making Josh curse a lot more than usual because of all the balls he has to ward off. It comes to no surprise when Loughborough scores another time and wins the game.

Defeated, Manchester leaves the field and listens to Corden’s analysis of the game. This time when they get to their local pub, they don’t celebrate their victory. Instead they drown their sorrows in beer. Even Liam finds himself with a pitcher in front of him. Although he will process the alcohol before it hits his system, it’s the drinking as a team that helps him get through the sorrow of losing. He may have only played the second half, but he feels the full 90 minutes f failure weighting him down and making him buy another beer.

\--

On Wednesday Liam leaves with the first train that brings him home. He’ll have to study a lot for exams and practice on his own for the last game of the season, but at least he’ll be in the familiarity of his own home and most importantly he’ll be with his family.

His parents are still at work when he gets home, but Watson awaits him happily. Liam ruffles his fur and lets him out in the garden, then he dumps his dirty laundry in the washing machine. Liam set’s up his laptop in the living room and turns it on. For a while he had the idea that maybe something could exist that could make him just human again, like an anti-potion. If werewolves are real, who knows what else might be real.

He comes up short relating a potion, but instead he finds forums where newly bitten wolves ask a lot of questions and highly suspicious answers on how to control a wolf. There are apparently a lot of people that don’t know what is going on with them and find themselves waking up outside once a month and have never meet another werewolf and therefor are questioning their sanity. Liam counts himself lucky that he has a very stubborn roommate. Who knows what would have happened had he changed in their dorm room. Despite what happened last month, Liam is thankful for what Harry has done for him. He never meant to be mean to Harry, but it scared him to see his tutor lose control over the wolf.

The familiar sound of his mum’s car driving down the street makes him quickly close the internet window and shutdown his pc. He gets up and straightens his shirt, then he opens the front door just in time to see Karen drive up the driveway. Watson comes running after him, jumping happily at the arrival of his owner.

“Hi mum.” Liam greets his mother.

“Liam, you’re already home.” Karen is happily surprised and engulfs her son in a bone crushing hug. Liam melts into the embrace, only now realising how much he needed this comforting gesture. His mum loosens her grip and takes his face in her hands, looking at her son. “I’m glad to see you.”

“Me too, mum. Missed you.” His mum’s eyes start shining with tear water, but before the tears can fall she squeezes his cheek and then shoves him towards the door.

“Your dad will be home soon. Should we get started on supper?” Liam nods and leads his mum into the kitchen, Watson trotting after them.

His mum fills him in on what he missed in the town, her new projects in the house and asks about uni. Her eyes water again when he tells her how well he gets on with his football team and that he is still friends with Louis.

Over dinner, Geoff asks Liam all about their football team and how the season is going. His parents tell him how proud they are and then his mum brings up something, Liam totally forgot about.

“Liam, how come you didn’t tell us that your kidney is healed?” Liam just sits there as if paralysed. With all this werewolf drama he forgot to tell his parents that he is completely healthy now. And what would he have said? How is he supposed to tell his parents that he is healthy because he hunts animals once a month in his wolf form. “We’re not mad, we just were surprised when we heard about it from our health insurance that you won’t get more meds.”

“Oh, I totally forgot, I’m sorry. But it I guess I just wanted to wait to make sure the kidney didn’t heal itself temporarily.” Good enough a lie. His parents look sympathetic at least.

“Liam, I know it is hard to believe, but you have to accept that you are blessed.” Blessed, right. “Something like that doesn’t happen often, it’s so rare that we had never hoped for it. We are so happy for you. You can live your life now without worrying about your kidney.”

“But don’t drink too much, son.” His dad pipes in. Karen rolls her eyes and Liam can’t help the smile that spreads over his face.

“Don’t worry dad. I won’t do anything that would end up damaging my kidneys.” He may have drunk more alcohol in the last 3 months than in the last 2 years, but since the alcohol gets processed quickly by his supernatural body, Liam doubts that it will harm his kidneys.

After dinner, Liam helps his mum bring the dishes into the kitchen.

“Would you like some ice cream, love?”

“Yes, please.” Liam leans against the countertop and watches her portion out vanilla ice cream.

“So, how do you get along with your roommate?” At the question Liam freezes. “It’s just that you haven’t talked about him yet and last year you talked all about how well you and Zayn get along.” She looks at him, but Liam doesn’t react. “Tell me about him.”

“Uhm, his name is Harry.” His mother nods encouragingly and leads him back out into the dining room, motioning for him to sit down with his ice cream. “He is on the football team.”

“Is he nice?”

“Mostly, yes.” Except when he transforms into a wolf and threatens other players.

“Do you two have anything else in common?” Liam has never thought about this much. He just kind of figured that they hung out because they are roommates and have the same cycle of friends, and because of the werewolf thing.

“He runs as well, but he reads a lot and likes old rock music. He, uhm, meditates sometimes. Oh, and he writes into a journal that has definitely seen better days.”

“He sounds nice.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you get along?” There goes the million-dollar question. A month ago Liam wouldn’t have hesitated in saying yes, but with the events of the last few weeks, Liam isn’t sure anymore. They used to get along, but now? Liam’s not sure.

“We’re going through a rough patch right now, but before that we got along well enough. We were friends even.”

“Oh, Liam. It will work out. And if it doesn’t, that’s alright. You don’t need to be friends with everybody and you can ask for a new roommate for next semester.”

“Thanks.” He smiles at his father for his kind words. The conversation was slightly awkward, but there is this warm feeling in Liam’s chest that comes with being with his family again. He is content despite everything to be with them again.

He ends up on the couch with his parents, Watson sleeping at his feet. His parents are bickering about something on TV when Liam can’t hold back another yawn. Karen looks at him fondly.

“I think I’m gonna head to bed now. It’s been a long drive home and I’m knackered.” He gets up, then pauses. “Should I clean the dishes?”

“No, It’s fine love. Geoff can help me. Sleep tight.”

“Thanks.” Liam responds and gives his mum a kiss on the cheek. His dad waves him off jokingly when Liam wants to kiss him as well and Liam ends up smacking a loud kiss on his cheek. As Liam rounds the corner to the stairwell he takes in one last deep breath of his family’s scent. The day after he was bitten he didn’t realize, but the smells around him and the mingling scents of his parents and the familiar scent of Watson, everything together warms Liam inside out. Here, Liam feels truly safe and at home.

\--

Starting the next day, Liam is in charge of the dog. Liam pictured his holidays differently, more getting up late and studying through the night after watching too many movies, not waking up early to walk the dog and studying during responsible hours.

So Liam takes the leash to go for a walk with Watson when the sun hasn’t fully risen yet. The December air is cold and makes Liam regret not wearing a warmer jacket. Unconsciously, he picks the way he usual walks with Watson, the one over the field along the forest. Also known as the one where Watson escaped him 3 months ago and not far from where Liam was bitten. A shiver runs down his spine as he looks around. Belatedly Liam realises, that the wolf that bit him, must live near. He may not be in wolf form right now but Liam doesn’t even want to meet the person. Instead of continuing the walk, he turns back around and quickens his pace. He’ll have to find another route for the future.

Despite the dooming weeks of exams coming closer, Liam keeps up his werewolf-research. He may not have found a way to get rid of the wolf part in him that isn’t paired with rituals that need his blood or a similar sacrifice, but he found a lot of useful information for the probably case that he will stay a werewolf. Liam made a list of herbs that are supposed to help him calm down or help ease the pain of the shift. He also tried out a few breathing exercises that actually work for him and not make him loose himself. Also, pressure points is a thing he never expected could help, but apparently it is and now Liam feels more safe to be around people on the full moon than ever before.

Turns out being separated from Harry for a while did Liam good. He was relying way too much on Harry, it’s not something he intends to do in the future. Liam also understand more about the transformation process now than before and knows how much Harry must have felt after that one game to shift. Apparently strong emotions can trigger the wolf which is why it is so important to stay calm. But the important thing is that he isn’t mad at Harry anymore. At least regarding the attack. The fact that Harry asked to be bitten also isn’t an issue for Liam anymore. It was Harry’s choice and he has to live with it. There is no need for Liam to make it even harder for him.

Maybe the Christmas spirit was the cause of Liam’s forgiveness, but that doesn’t matter as long as Liam doesn’t change his newly developed opinions.

On Christmas eve Liam calls Louis and wishes him a happy birthday. It’s nice to hear his mates voice again and Liam can’t express how much he misses him. There is chatter in the background on Louis’ telephone end, telling Liam that Louis is with his family. That’s basically the only reason Liam doesn’t stay on the phone with him all day because he knows how much Louis’ family means to him and now at Christmas is the time where everyone comes together.

Liam’s own sisters come home on the 25th, just in time for the big Christmas dinner. Liam had woken up to lovely gifts and had set some out for his parents and sisters as well. His sisters had bought him a pair of sneakers that cost more than Liam would like to think about, but they are just what he could have hoped for. He thanks them and hugs them tight, not wanting to let go now that they are here.

The Christmas meal is a right feast. The meat his mum prepared is really delicious, Nicola made excellent mash and Ruth brought exquisite pudding. Liam is so stuffed he doesn’t think he could move even if he wanted to. Once the Paynes can move again, Liam and Geoff do the dishes while Nicola sets up her favourite board game.

That night, Liam goes to bed happy and sated, a feeling he knows from the mornings after the full moon.

\--

The next day Liam stays home for studying while his parents go out shopping. While he tries to focus, his phone keeps lighting up with messages. His friends are organising a New Years Eve party, but Liam already knows he can’t attend for long; the full moon falling on that date this year. He doesn’t yet know how to break the news to Louis, but he knows that Louis won’t be pleased no matter what he says.

By the time Liam leaves for uni again, he’s got a half-formed plan for New Years, but first he needs to apologize to Harry. Liam feels the calm that overcame him since he got his mind out of the gutter and accepted that he is a werewolf and that not everything is falling to pieces because of it. Over the last few days he has collected information that helps him keep the wolf in check and he learned how the bite has bettered life for a lot of people. Some have been really ill, only the better healing powers of a werewolf helping ease the pain and eventually heal the sickness. There were no wonder stories of blind people being able to fully see again, but the bite made it easier to cope with being blind because of the other heightened senses. Before, Liam hadn’t appreciated the benefits of being a werewolf, he knows. Harry gave him a lot of shit for it, but since he has seen the light in is mothers eyes as she told him she knew that his kidney was healed, Liam can’t help but be thankful for making his mother happy, for her to not worry about her son anymore.

The train comes to a stop in Manchester and Liam catches the bus to uni campus. He finds that his dorm room is empty, Harry not having arrived yet. Louis won’t be here until Sunday, but Niall will be here, setting up for practice, so Liam unpacks, repacks his bag for practice, gets dressed in sports clothes and goes to practice early. As predicted Niall is already out on the field laying out demarcations.

“Niall.” Liam calls when he reaches the field and sets down his bag. Niall turns around while a huge smile spreads across his face.

“Liam. Glad to see you, mate.”

“You too, Niall.” Liam says into the embrace as Niall flings himself at him. “How’s it been?” Liam asks as he helps Niall with the demarcations.

“Good. Spend some time with my family, went to the pub with friends, Harry came over for a few days.”

“Did he?” Somehow Liam is surprised. He didn’t know they were that close.

“Are you two still not on speaking terms?”

“I am planning on changing that.”

“Might still not do a lot of talking afterwards.” Niall mutters. Liam blushes at the implication. Over the last few days Liam also realised that he might like Harry as more than a friend, but he didn’t think he was being obvious about his crush before.

Soon after the rest of the team arrives in time for the warm up. Just as they start their first lap, Liam smells Harry. As he turns his head, Harry runs through the gate and throws his back down, catching up to them. Harry spares Liam a glance but otherwise ignores him.

Harry manages to ignore Liam all throughout practice and even after in the showers. Liam finally catches up to him in their dorm room but Harry is already on his way out again.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Liam says quickly. Harry stops and turns around.

“I … really?”

“Yes. Could you maybe not leave?” Harry looks wary. “I wanted to apologise. I’ve come to the understanding that you meant well and I overreacted. I was just so unhappy being forced into this situation that I took it out on you. I thought that if I trained hard enough I would be able to tame the wolf, but seeing you lashing out destroyed that hope. And the fact that you asked for the bite threw me off. I couldn’t understand how someone could want to be a werewolf and I know now that you had your reasons and that it’s not for me to judge you for irreversible decisions.”

Liam stares at Harry as he finally sits down, an unreadable expression on his face. It’s a lot to take in, but Liam doesn’t think he can take the silence any longer.

“Harry…”

“Hold on. I want to apologise as well. I’ve been a dick the last few weeks. I should have respected your point of view on werewolves, but I wanted you to want something you clearly don’t and I shouldn’t have been a dick about that. I’m sorry.”

“Friends?” Liam offers. A smile spreads over Harry’s face as he replies.

“Friends.” He gets up from the bed and walks over to Liam, arms wide open. “Hug?”

“Don’t even have to ask.” Liam says as he steps into the embrace. He doesn’t even resist the urge to press his nose into Harry’s neck, knowing now that it will ground and relax them both. He sniffs and takes in Harry’s scent, it’s like a comforting blanket’s surrounding him.

After a while they pull apart and Liam smiles at Harry sheepishly. “I need a few herbs from the market. Drive me tomorrow?” Harry just laughs, then smiles his easy smile.

“Of course. What do you need them for?”

“You’ll see. All I can tell you now is that I’ll be making a special tea.”

\--

On New Years Eve Liam and Harry help Louis set up his new years party. He had the masterplan of making their entire floor a giant party isle. Everyone that stayed or came back to uni somehow gave Louis permission to use their dorm room as party area. Some mates of Niall who also study sound engineering with he and Liam managed to get all the equipment to blast the whole floor with music. Probably the entire building will notice their party. Good thing Louis isn’t excluding anybody.

Basically everybody is involved in the party, which is how several different kinds of liquor end up in Harry’s and Liam’s room, the designed bar. Liam can’t wait to wash the spilt alcohol off the floor the next morning, but he can never say no to Louis.

Scott continues playing music after checking the sound system, people filling the place hours before midnight. It’s not even 6 pm, but people don’t seem to care that they are already drinking heavy alcohol.

Liam feels the pull of the full moon, but it’s not overwhelming. He kept up his calming routines and he’s got everything packed for tonight, feeling as ready as he’ll ever be. He heats water and fills it into a thermos can. Liam hopes that Harry and he will get out unnoticed, but apparently he has no such luck.

“Going away for your monthly shag?” Liam hears a voice behind them.

“Ha ha, very funny Lou.”

“Then where are you going? Can’t leave before the party has really started. The people aren’t even proper drunk yet.”

“And that’s why we are getting more alcohol. To help matters along.” Louis doesn’t look like he believes them, but he releases Liam from his stare down and that’s all the assurance he needs before he grabs Harry by the arm and leads him out to the car. Louis may not know everything that is going on, but the trusts Liam to make the right decisions. Maybe Liam will tell him someday what really happens once a month.

Harry drives them to his usual place in the woods. Liam get’s out and prepares the herbal tea which is supposed to relief some of the pain you feel during a shift.

“This is nice.” Harry says a few minutes later, sitting cross legged in front of him, tea cup in both hands, trying to seek up the warmth. Taking another sip of his tea, Liam nods. It really is nice, having this moment of calm before the inevitable shift. And the tea makes Liam feel loose and like he is floating a bit. The first roll of pain from the shift doesn’t exactly hurt, it is more like a strong pull that Liam recognises as the urge to shift. Harry feels it too, so they stand up and rid themselves of their clothes.

The change happens to Liam in a kind of out of body experience. He can feel it happening, but it doesn’t hurt. Maybe the collection of herbs has a drugging effect.

When he wakes the next morning his body still aches, but it’s like veil is clogging his senses. Everything feels distant, even the body he presses himself to. The cold January air washes over him, but he only feels it like through a thick blanket. Liam boroughs his head further into Harry and lets his scent ground him. This is the first morning waking up next to him since Liam figured out his feelings. He is scared of wanting too much but at the same time he wants to savour this moment. Harry stirs beside him, a moment later he cuddles closer.

“I’m really glad we’re on good terms again.” He says quietly.

“Me too.” Liam replies. And because Harry is so close, he lifts his head a bit and scents his neck. Feeling brave, Liam sets his lips where his nose was seconds ago. He waits for Harry’s negative reaction, but it doesn’t come. Liam chances a glance at Harry’s face and sees a smile spreading across his face. “Is this okay?” He asks.

“More than.” Harry replies. He turns onto his back which causes Liam to fall onto Harry. Harry takes Liam’s confused face in his hands and brings it closer to his own. “I really hope you don’t mind what I’m about to do.” Harry waits a second before leaning up and kissing Liam on the lips. The brown eyed lad is surprised for a second before he catches himself and kisses back. No, he definitely doesn’t mind. The new year has never started this good.

They kiss until Harry starts shivering from the cold, both sitting up flushed and stealing glances at each other. Harry clears his throat.

“We.. uh, we should put on our clothes. I’m freezing.” They get dressed and drive home in silence, both smiling and still not able to keep from looking at the other for long.

Back at uni Liam gets thrown down from his pink cloud; their dorm floor is a mess. They have to walk over empty bottles and clothes to get to their room which is even more sticky than Liam anticipated. A stack of beer boxes fell over and is blocking their way further into the room. Liam groans and rights the boxes. As much as he would like to wash of the scent of wood and wolf, he should probs clean first. Harry seems to be on the same page as he motions for Liam to come with him and wake the others.

When Louis opens his eyes and looks at Liam, his eyes form to slits before ordering a cup of tea. “I need to talk to you later.” He says as he points his finger at Liam’s chest. Liam already feels guilty for leaving Louis party and not returning until now, so he just nods and goes to make Louis a cuppa.

Surprisingly, most students are on board to clean the dorm, others organise breakfast. It takes them a few hours to get the floor back in order, but when they are done, Liam feels gross and accomplished and like he truly deserves his shower. Throughout all of the cleaning, Liam’s mind had drifted mere time to the kiss (or kisses) he had with Harry this morning. Does this mean that Harry likes Liam the way Liam likes him? It has to, right? But before he gets a chance to ask Harry that, Louis corners him and demands a talk.

They end up going to the back of the building were Louis lights himself a cigarette.

“So, what is really going on with you and Harry?” Liam’s first though is that he means the kiss, but Louis doesn’t know about that. He means the disappearing and not reappearing until morning. Liam contemplates if he should tell Louis the whole truth, but telling your best mate that you are a werewolf is something that needs planning.

“What exactly do you mean?” Playing dumb and buying time, that is the plan for now.

“The disappearing together, the glances… Honestly, are you guys shagging? Cuz’ I don’t care where you put your dick or what you put up your ass or whatever but I would like to know what is going on in my best friends life.” Liam sighs. He never intended to make Louis feel left out. And he definitely never thought Louis would judge him for dating another man.

“Louis…I…Thank you. You’re the best, really. And Harry and I aren’t shagging. We kissed, but that’s it.” Louis raises his eyebrows at the last one.

“I knew something was going on with you two. When did you guys kiss first? In the second week? Third? Taking it slow, eh?”

“Today.”

“What? Today? But why did you leave these other times overnight if it weren’t for secret make out sessions?” Shit. What does he say now?

“I can’t tell you, Lou, I’m sorry.” The look on Louis face tells Liam that he feels betrayed. They never used to have secrets. “I want to tell you, but I’m not ready.”

“Alright. Just be safe, okay? But why Harry? Why is Styles involved in your secret?”

“Harry and I have the same condition.”

“You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, jeez, sorry Lou. I am completely healthy, I promise. What I meant was that we are going through the same thing.”

“The gay thing? Bi. Pan. Queer. You decide.” It’s an out. A chance Liam should take. But he can’t, that would be lying. And he tries to be as honest as possible with Louis.

“No, sorry Lou. I would tell you If I knew how. But it also isn’t just my secret to tell.” Liam looks at his mate with pleading eyes.

“I understand. Take your time. I will always make time for you, you know that?”

“I know, thank you. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Louis comes forward and hugs Liam, Liam breathes in his scent. Warm and comforting, safe. “But now go to practice. I think you might be late.” Liam looks at his watch, alarmed, and yes, he’ll be late if he doesn’t hurry.

Lucky for him he isn’t late, all thanks to his werewolf speed.

At practice, Liam is a bit distracted by Harry, but other than that practice goes by smoothly. The other guys noticed the change between them and are now just fondly rolling their eyes when Liam mis-passes because Harry was running by. By the looks of it, Harry’s got it just as bad, accidentally running into Dean because he was looking at Liam.

After practice ends, the team pushes them together and laugh, fleeing for the showers. Liam blushes as he looks at Harry sheepishly from under his eyelashes. He hears Harry’s heartbeat rising, but he just grabs Liam by the shoulders and steers him towards the showers. “First shower, then talk, alright?” Liam nods, not able to form words.

Liam has a long shower, now suddenly nervous to have the conversation with Harry that he wanted to have all day. After he is finally showered, Harry is already waiting for him, most of the other boys already filtered out. Feeling stupid all of a sudden for borrowing time, he hurries to get dressed and follows Harry outside.

Harry leads him to his car, then drives them out of the city. He parks where he usually would on the full moon, where he parked yesterday. Liam gets out and wonders what they are doing here. Harry doesn’t join him yet, first he goes to the back of the car and opens the trunk, taking out blankets and candles and what looks like sandwiches. He lays a blanket down on the bed of leaves then steadies a space for the candles and lights them. Then he hands Liam a blanket and motions for him to sit down. Harry wraps himself in the blanket and starts his sandwich after handing Liam one. Liam didn’t even realise he was hungry until he smelled the ham on his sandwich. He tries to eat it slowly so to make it last longer, but gulfs down the rest when Harry nudges another one to him with a smile.

“You’ve got something there.” Harry says and motions to Liam’s face.

“Here?” Liam asks, whipping his left cheek.

“No. There. Let me…” Harry says as he leans over to thumb at Liam’s right cheek. Instead of moving back, Harry stays close and slides his hand slowly down to cup Liam’s neck, thumb stroking the skin below his ear. Unwillingly, Liam’s gaze drops to Harry’s mouth that is coming closer and closer by the second. When Harry is close enough to kiss, Liam closes his eyes and rests his hands on Harry’s chest, keeping him away.

“We should talk first.” He presses out. Liam wants to kiss Harry so badly, but for the sake of his heart he wants to know that they are on the same page about all of this.

“Right.” Harry whispers, distancing himself from Liam and sitting back down in his old spot. “Just to make this less awkward for me; you aren’t opposed to kissing me, right?”

“What? No. I want to kiss you, I really do.” The smile Harry sends him is shy almost.

“And how about dating?” Liam’s eyebrows shoot up. He didn’t think the evening would go like this. “Because I like you a lot and I would like to get to know you; more than I already do. You already are such a big part of my life and it’s not enough. I want you in every part of my life.” Harry looks so honest that Liam’s heart melts. Liam is so stuck on staring with heart-eyes at Harry that he doesn’t notice the change in demeanour, how Harry suddenly looks embarrassed and nervous. “Is there any chance that you feel the same way? Or could, sometime? Because I don’t think these feelings for you will go away any time soon, seeing how they have stayed with me even when I was mad at you and you hated my guts.”

Liam gets up on his knees and leans over to Harry so that he can look him into the eyes.

“Harry. I never hated you. I may have thought and that your decisions were stupid, but I never hated you. In fact, I really like you, so much that I would physically hurt if I were separated from you as long as I just was.” Liam watches as Harry gulps and gets closer still. He sees his eyes dropping down to his lips before they come back up to his eyes again. “I didn’t realise at first, but I want to be with you in every possible way. So yes, I would very much like to date you.” Harry lets out a sigh of relief, but Liam immediately shuts him up by leaning forward the remaining centimetres and kissing those pink lips if his. One of Harry’s hands comes up to slide into Liam’s hair, using the pull he has on it to push Liam closer. Harry drags him down onto the blanket and kisses him stupid for a while.

What feels like an eternity later, Harry and Liam lay side by side covered in blankets, staring up at the sky and the already receding full moon. Who knows if they would be what they are now, if Liam never got bitten. For all that he hated being a wolf, he has to appreciate the fact that the bite brought him and Harry closer. He looks to his left where Harry is laying on this outstretched arm and sees him already looking back. Liam smiles at him, but Harry’s face stays thoughtful.

“I was really worried when Daniel attacked you.” Harry confesses after a while. “I’ve never been a supporter of violence, but at that moment the wolf just took over. I think it wanted to protect me, and you. What scares me the most is how willingly I let the wolf take over. I could have stopped him, but I thought I wouldn’t be enough to protect you.” Liam just squeezes his arm. This still is a sore subject for him, but he wants to be there for Harry and maybe hearing Harry’s point of view will help Liam come to peace with it. “Why were you so mad at me?” Harry asks, his voice hurt. Liam lets out a long breath.

“I guess I was worried because if you don’t have control over the wolf, how would I ever be able to have control. And I mas mad because I couldn’t understand why you wanted to be like that. A monster, because you’ve got no control over yourself. I understand that the wolf is a part of you, like it is a part of me now, but it was just too much back then.” He feels Harry nod against him. They stay silent for so long that Liam worries that Harry fell asleep. Liam checks his phone and sees that it is already close to midnight. He nudges Harry who turns out had been dozing and lifts him up by the arms. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Harry shakes himself awake and drives them home. He barely manages to get undress before he falls onto his mattress. Liam feels his eyes on him the entire time he gets undressed and finally turns around to face him when he’s got his sleep shirt over his head. He lifts an eyebrow at Harry’s sleepy smile.

“Leeyum. It’s cold.”

“Then maybe you should get under the covers.” Liam proposes, aware that Harry wants something else entirely.

“Come keep me warm.” And there it is. Liam actually wants to get a good-nights-sleep after sleeping in the woods on the ground last night and his warm and comfy bed is the best option for that, but squeezing into the tight space of Harry’s twin mattress by snuggling up to him is tempting. Which is how he ends up pressed to Harry’s back, arms encircling him and breathing in the scent that is just Harry. The warm, comforting smell is a hint sweet and makes Liam drowsy. Within minutes both are asleep.

\--

There is an easiness in their new formed relationship, like when Liam is studying, but can’t focuse on the word anymore, Harry just leans over and kisses him, giving him a much needed break. They haven’t put a name on themselves yet, but both blush prettily when Coach Corden tells them to ‘give their boyfriend a break from smooching’ and ‘to concentrate on the task’. Liam knows that Harry doesn’t like putting labels on things, and for right now he is just happy to be with Harry.

On Sunday is the last game of the season, giving them all a week before exams start. Liam has been studying for ages, having started already last year when he was avoiding Harry, so he feels pretty confident in his abilities, but first he has to put all his energy in the game. If they manage to win against Newcastle, Manchester will replace Northumbria on the first place. That would be a victory for their university and for Harry and Liam personally.

Newcastle makes it hard for Manchester to play out their game strategy; there is always a defence there where Manchester wants to attack, leaving no chance to break through. They got a clear defence tactic, building on burning Manchester out and then attack later on. When half time comes, it’s a relive for both teams. Coach Corden does his best to motivate the guys and bring out their last game energy. The second half is just as bad as the first one, Newcastle almost overpowering Harry and his team. By pure luck, Manchester gets a penalty shot at the end of the game and secure their win like that.

The mood of the Manchester team is phenomenal; they’re jumping and shouting, singing and dancing. Liam catches Harry’s eyes and without a second thought he strides forward and kisses him. His hands get lost in Harry’s growing hair, the little bun on top fragile from all the running. Harry grins against his lips and pulls him closer by the waist, sneaking his tongue into Liam’s mouth. Liam barely suppresses a moan, but it would get swallowed by the noise around them anyway. He is so happy right now he could burst. Harry places a longing kiss on his mouth before they return to celebrate with the team.

The pub is overflowing with people when the get home and it’s not long before everyone is happily drunk. Well, except for Liam and Harry, but they are happy enough to be in each other’s presence to long for alcohol. Louis calls them sappy, but Liam can tell that he is happy for them.

They celebrate until the early morning, shoving the thought of what the next weeks will bring at the back of their minds.

\--

Exam season is tough and Liam feels like digging a hole and laying himself to rest there, preferably not coming out ever again, or at least until after exams are over. He is glad though that every time he gets home from one of his exams Harry is there and that he gets to crawl into bed behind Harry, his safe space as of late. Breathing in his scent calms him down almost instantly and Harry seems to appreciate his presence every time, if the way he is deliberately pressing against him is any clue.

Two weeks later Harry comes back to their room from his last exam and immediately climbs into Liam’s lap where he is sitting in front of his computer.< /p>  
“What are your plans for the break?” He asks, purring quietly when Liam’s hands slide over his back.

“Dunno. Wanted to weigh out the propositions.” Liam shrugs.

“Do you want to stay here with me? Run on the full moon together? I have lots of ideas for what we could do before to keep us warm.” Harry whispers the last words in his ears, lips deliberately brushing against Liam who can’t help but shiver.

“Sounds like a good plan.” He murmurs back, already searching Harry’s mouth to kiss him senseless. The chair, it turns out, isn’t the most comfortable place when things get heated, but Liam is willing to stick it out if only for the little noises Harry makes while trying to stay quiet. Louis and Niall have taken to knocking and waiting for an answer before coming in, but it is only a matter of time before someone walks in on them. Today luckily isn’t the day.

After, he lays in bed with Harry next to him and thinks back on the last 4 months. Before the bite he was living a normal life for someone his age. But this semester he had to struggle with being a werewolf on top of his student work. He was worried and angry, so unlike himself, but he still had the time of his life. Liam will be forever thankful for his friends and especially Harry for getting him through this tough time. And his friends didn’t even know what was really going on. He must talk to Harry about telling them, they really deserve to know the truth. Liam turns his head to his left to where Harry is sleeping and presses a kiss on his head. Sleepily Harry cuddles closer, his scent filling Liam’s nostrils. Liam breathes in deeply. He never imagined, that he would feel so settled from a scent alone. Being a werewolf is still something Liam has to fully get used to, but at least he is at the point where he wants to explore every aspect of his new life, and if possible, he wants to take Harry on that journey with him. Liam still has to study for at least three more semesters and he doesn’t know what he wants to do after, but as long as he has Harry at his side, Liam is ready.


End file.
